OTV 1 (USA 212)

OTV 1 (USA 212) is no longer on orbit
OTV 1 (USA 212) is classified as:

Military

NORAD ID: 36514

Int'l Code: 2010-015A

Launch date: April 22, 2010
Source: United States (US)
Launch site: AIR FORCE EASTERN TEST RANGE (AFETR)
Decay date: 2010-12-03

OTV-1 is a military space shuttle which does not carry a crew, but it relies on a laundry list of new technologies that Air Force officials hope will revolutionize how the Pentagon executes its space programs. Although officials are openly discussing the X-37B platform itself, the Air Force is mum on exactly what payloads the unmanned ship carries inside its cargo hold, which is about the size of a pickup truck bed. It will land on a runway originally built for the space shuttle at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. Officially named the Orbital Test Vehicle, the prototype spaceplane is about one-quarter the size of a space shuttle orbiter. Besides saying the mission will demonstrate the craft's high-tech capabilities, the Air Force is not releasing any information on what experiments or objectives are planned while the X-37B is in orbit.