New Space Plane to Orbit Early Next Year?

The US Air Force's X-37B, a prototype space plane designed to ferry small payloads to and from Earth orbit, will launch onboard an Atlas V Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) in January 2010, reports Leonard David.

An unpiloted military space plane, the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle will launch from Cape Canaveral to low earth orbit (once around) and make an auto-pilot control landing into either Vandenberg Air Force Base, California or Edwards Air Force Base, California. The space flight test is coming after repeated development delays.

In size the X-37B is about one-quarter the length and width of a space shuttle orbiter coming in at about 27.5 feet long, a 15-foot wingspan, and weighing about 5 tons. The vehicle could mark a new revolution in space access enhancing the capability of picking-up space debris; providing service to aging satellites; and enahnce possible point-to-point exo-atmospheric flights, [Video].