The US Air Force will today launch its second X-37B spaceplane from
Cape Canveral to intesnse interest from Russia and China, which are
suspicious about its secret payload.Built
by Boeing, the unmanned X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, or OTV, is designed
for vertical launch to low Earth orbit altitudes, where it can stay for
up to 270 days.When commanded, it autonomously re-enters the atmosphere, descends
and lands horizontally on a runway. Looking rather like a miniature
version of the Space Shuttle, it's 29 feet long and powered by solar
panels. Today's flight will see it lifted to orbit by an Atlas V rocket.