| April 19, 2010 |  |
Air Force to Launch Unmanned Military Space Plane
UCS Space Expert Provides Commentary on Space Plane On New ‘All Things Nuclear’ Blog
The Air Force is planning to launch a small, unmanned military space plane from Cape Canaveral this week. It will be the first flight for the Air Force’s X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle. While the Air Force has not revealed its specific goals, the mission’s main purpose likely is to test the plane’s maneuverability and autonomous re-entry technology. These features are key because the plane is designed to deliver experiments from space back to Earth.
Laura Grego, a senior scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists’ (UCS) Global Security Program, monitors space security and weapons technology. For her take on the Air Force’s orbital test vehicle, go to UCS’s new blog, AllThingsNuclear.org, and scroll down to her April 15 posting.
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