At 7:52 p.m. last night, an Air Force Atlas 501 rocket shot the capsule enclosed X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle into space from Cape Canaveral. Resembling a small space shuttle, the OTV was built in Boeing’s famed Phantom Works. The OTV will serve as an “on-orbit” laboratory for new sensors and other high-tech devices that will later be built into satellites. Its payload is highly classified, but the Air Force says test flights aboard the retrievable OTV will prove out new technologies before they are shot into space, to stay.
The 29 foot OTV is powered by a combination of lithium ion batteries and solar panels. Air Force deputy undersecretary for space programs, Gary Payton, told reporters: “Probably the most important demonstration is on the ground, see what it really takes to turn this bird around and get it ready to go fly again.” The turnaround goal is 15 days. As for how long it will stay up there: “In all honesty, we don’t know when it’s coming back for sure,” said Payton. “I don’t think we’ve set any specific goal, but I would think handling this bird more like an SR-71 and less like a routine space launch vehicle would be a good objective,”
– Greg
{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
This IS a transformattional moment in the geopolitical/military and even economic landscape. Why? Well it's obvious for military reasons, this helps us set the foundation for a Prompt Global Strike capability. For geopolitics, well it's seismic because of the potential repurcussions other nations may face with this new US capability and how do they react to it. And finally, economic because if we can reduce the cost to access to space, it will create an explosion of new companies popping up in the space tech industry.
Perhaps if it was twice the size. Frankly, I think the Airborne laser was a more epic moment. The turret is a landmark marvel. One would think the underside of the X-37 would be rather laser ablative given the likely future of speed of light weapons. Now if you could use rail, solids, scrams to lift this plane faster, one could meet PGS launch-to-strike goals. Stealthy drones are a bit cheaper…..
Nick Chen – I couldn't agree more. It is a transformational achievement. One that is very typical of defense technology advances. This has very similar implications in technology and geopolitics as the bicycle and the machine gun in their day.
I'm from England but couldn't be happier that the US now owns space and the internet rather than the weak socialist EU or those scum bag Russians or Chinese !
Just waiting for the Iranian space plane with warp drive and photon torpedoes to be launched next week off the back of an ice cream van !
Also please USA don't let Israel steal all the Intellectual Property and Hawk it to the Chinese !! They have just robbed the world via their cohorts in the City Of London and Wall St and enough is enough .
The Chinese do not need the Israelis to rob us blind.
They copy everything we have and then under-price us around the world.
Brit too! And although I'm not exactly comparing the two. I feel the need to point out another technology offering similarly massive potential military benefits. Developed on a shoe string and currently in the public domain. I think the MOD really should be looking at this.
http://www.virgingalactic.com/
P.S. You gotta love Branson aint ya ;). Yours in antisipation of predictable comments. Ben
Huh, the military ahead of a blog poster, usually the posters have the idea first. But guess what they used to test flight the x37B, here's a pic…
http://rocketry.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/x37-w…
What is the big deal about "highly classified" payloads?
The are only so many things you can put in an orbit. Science experiments and satellites are just about it. Satellites pretty much spy or provide communications. Satellites in orbit are visible with a clear sky and a decent telescope, and people who lack good telescopes aren't sophisticated enough to care.
You could put anti-satellite or anti-ground location weapontry in orbit. But, I seriously doubt that Washington has the capacity to keep that a secret, and quite a few people who have to know to make it happen because it would be a very big budget deal.
The launch vehicle is the only thing worth keeply highly classified, and fewer people would be interested in the payload if it was identifed in general terms anyway.
The Highly Classified payloads may be what it is gaining while in space. Maybe a few dead Chinese or Russian Satellites here and there to keep track of advances of potential enemies. Not a Sermon, just a thought.
To be honest, for a first launch, the payload is probably about 1,557,783 accelerometers and strain guages to prove it can safely do a *second* launch.
This is a USAF bird, after all, which means DoD air(or space?)worthiness processes probably apply
Tim,
Why don't you just say you don't like Jews?
One Word: Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111
What use?
high velocity bunker busters http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/archive/index.php/t-145093.html
space launched cruise missiles http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military/4203874
anti-sat/missile systems
sat defense systems
quick time recon
as I said, twice the size would pack the punch…
transformational indeed! appears to be a cheap (compared to Shuttle and satellites of similar capability if there are such) quickly launched (in case of destruction by Chinese anti-satellite missiles) probably super stealth, persistent powered solar cells so it never runs out of power, add spy cameras, communications gear, a few icbms, and the new flying laser, and room for other experiments on the way, and you can now realize the shield of Reagan's Star Wars but in a much simpler than envisioned and much cheaper manner.
Imagine 100 of these constantly flying around the earth with a proven anti-missile laser or anti-missile missile system or both. Iranian missiles may no longer seem as threatening and perhaps and our allies will pay a monthly service charge for "system benefits."
Of course its cheap compared to the shuttle. YOu don't have a life support system and food and several human beings in the craft. Just the rocket and the payload
i have been following space weapons for sometime and i can honestly say that this is a seriously giant leap for us ( u.s) . no doubt in my mind that the x-37b secretly has weapons on it ppl. trust me. the u.s aint going to send something like that up in space and not have any defense or offensive weaponry on it like asat's and space to ground missiles. i think thats what they are keeping secret other than we all know that this is going to be used for spying on countries like russia and china. this is a big blow to russia and china and its driving them nuts right about now.
as for what technology bluff said " imagine 100 of these constantly flying aroundearth with a proven anti- missile laser or anti – missile system or both" i guarentee you all thats the goal ppl. its safe to say that we ( u.s) are expanding our military in space and we pretty much or the dominate power in space
Just to clarify.
Boeing BOUGHT the McDonnell Douglas Famed Phantom Works, eons ago.
bt
St. Louis engineers can be proud of this one.
Semper Fi
end
It is not just this system. On the same day the X-37 was launched a Minotaur IV Lite (old Peacekeeper ICBM) was sent aloft with an HTV-2 as its payload (Hypersonic Test Vehicle) This is the real global strike weapon.
Rick I have Jewish , Russian , Chinese friends even god forbid Scottish friends ! Don't hate them just their leaders .
Surely its ok to criticize Israel , Russia and China as States ?
And please Israel doesn't give a damm about the USA or UK ,they would sell our secrets to anyone for a few dollars . Am I mistaken or has the US caught numerous Israeli spies ?
Just don't criticize the muslims or they'll threaten to kill your sorry ass.
Have to agree with Tim. If something catastrophic happened to the U.S. can you see "our closest ally in the middle east" doing a damm thing to help us? They'd just bemoan the loss of the foreign aid we give them and look for a new teat at which to suckle; probably China.
As the thing rides an Atlas V up the well I fail to see how this thing constitutes anything resembling a game changer. We have had conventional ICBMs for ages but we don't use them for the same reason that we won't use the x37 to deliver ordinance: cost. The Russians have the same capability (automated and everything) with updated 80s tech for what I am sure is a fraction of the cost. Having an automated relatively cheap (although relatively 'cheap' is everything when compared to the disaster which was the shuttle program) high endurance orbital vehicular is important and all, just not game changing. Too bad the x33 was scrapped.
This laugh is important for one reason. It is a small first step into weaponry that will allow this country to OWN space. Everyone marveled at the Global Hawk and the Predator both of which are tinker toys next to what has become. Anyone who has been the target of a Reaper attack (if there are any alive) will tell you that. I would like to say I can't wait to see what comes next but we probably will not ever find that out.
We are under a bot attack.
Well don't be surprised the Israelis end up interested in PAK FA rather than the lesser JSF. Tim , please substantiate your claims. I rather doubt we would have such a close relationship if the DOD felt as you did.
If the X-37 was a bit bigger you could drop scram cruise missiles and their falling velocity would be sufficient to power up. I suppose rail technology would be cheaper.
Still, this gives the US an option of Rods from God. I would if a test of the concept would cause global condemnation….. The Chinese started this latest round of escalation with their anti-sat test.
I wonder if a test…. sorry
http://www.parabolicarc.com/2010/04/18/darpa-falc… Yep, this is a game changer too.
Doe the name ohnathen Pollard ring a bell?
How about 8% of all profits of the US economy going to bankers and CEO's that are intentionally tanking the economy to strip blacks and poor people of their life savings after they were baited into ARM's?
How about the 250 Mossad agents arrested during and after 911?
I think this is one of the few times imo when privatization is a really good idea. Whether we think it’s necessary or not, we need to continue to develop new forms of space travel and technology to facilitate it. What the ppl whose only argument is “we have too many problems down here to be worrying about this,” they fail to understand the two most important implications of aeronautical research. The first is for national defense… it’s bad enough that nasa has to rely on Russia to ferry them to the ISS. If we keep going at this rate, our disadvantage will only grow as they continue to develop new technologies in their space program while we pump the brakes on ours. Is air and space superiority something you really want the Russians to have? It doesn’t seem like a good idea for any one country to have, let alone one whom we have a sketchy history with. The second is that with aeronautical research comes a flood of new technologies, most of which are very applicable to us down on earth. For example, if it wasn’t for nasa, we wouldn’t have the chips that we use for non-invasive biopsies, solar energy, and a whole litany of other things (http://www.thespaceplace.com/nasa/spinoffs.html#T… has a good number of inventions that most of us don’t know came from our space program). And if you’re one of those ppl that are so skeptical (or cynical imo) that you still don’t think that any of the things on this list warrant a larger investment in a privatized space industry, just remember that while you sleep at night, you most likely have nasa to thank for that, too. If you use any type of home security system, chances are they use infrared and laser technology that came out of nasa’s research (just look at the adt home security infrared camera page. They even admit that the technology came from nasa!)