USA's second X-37 space plane due for launch

[Aramsogo]

The shuttle was used for secret military missions. Now the military has something even better that isn't limited by the human considerations the Shuttle was. However the one draw back it has is it can not deliver the same payloads the shuttle could, the X-37 is far smaller. It is in effect a flying re-usable satellite itself. Another plus is it can be easily upgraded with next generation surveillance technology. Spy and communication satellites take years to develop, build, and launch. with the abilities of the X-37 that time is vastly reduced.

And the U.S. can already evade radar defenses. It doesn't need to park a single nuke warhead in space on an X-37.

The electro-optics of a keyhole satellite make it impossible for it to fit inside the X-37. They are the size of a Hubble Telescope (same thing). Yes, I'm aware of military missions on the space shuttle. Who said anything about a nuclear warhead?? Prompt Global Strike is conventional weapons only. Read my second post, there are tons of weapons applications for the X-37. It's not a surveillance plane, we still have U2's for that.

 

[Thomas]

The electro-optics of a keyhole satellite make it impossible for it to fit inside the X-37. They are the size of a Hubble Telescope (same thing). Yes, I'm aware of military missions on the space shuttle. Who said anything about a nuclear warhead?? Prompt Global Strike is conventional weapons only. Read my second post, there are tons of weapons applications for the X-37. It's not a surveillance plane, we still have U2's for that.

The X-37B can loiter in space for 9 months at a time. It's easy to put a warhead in that "experiment bay". That's a big difference between X-37B and an ICBM.

I assumed a nuke rather then conventional since using a platform that launches 1 conventional warhead made even less sense then a nuke. If the U.S. launches an attack under the Prompt Global Strike plan it won't be a single conventional warhead.

The electro-optics of a keyhole satellite make it impossible for it to fit inside the X-37. They are the size of a Hubble Telescope (same thing).

The Keyhole series was discontinued, there is also newer generation technology that even the KH-11 and 12 (Misty) do not utilize. Interesting Also is the fact that the X-37 and KH-12 are similar in size.

 

[Aramsogo]

^^ I thought the scenario for prompt global strike was North Korea or Iran was fueling up a ballistic missile on the launch pad and the US needed to take it out in less than 2 hours with a conventional warhead. Short of a conventional ICBM or hypersonic cruise missile, the US doesn't have this capability right now. B2 and F-22 would take too long. Also, a conventional ICBM would set off alarms in Russia and China, not the safest thing to do.

Okay, if its surveillance, what do you think X-37 can do that KH-12 and U2 can't??

 

[TruthSeeker]

Air Force launches unmanned spacecraft
By Todd Halvorson, Florida Today

CAPE CANAVERAL — An unmanned U.S. military spaceship that looks like a small space shuttle lifted off Saturday on a secretive shakedown cruise — one that could include the deployment and retrieval of a clandestine payload.

By Craig Bailey, AP

An Atlas 5 rocket blasts off with an unmanned space plane Saturday from Cape Canaveral

The U.S. Air Force's second X-37B spacecraft blasted off atop a powerful Atlas V rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, sending a loud rumble across the Florida coast.

Air Force officials said the 196-foot United Launch Alliance rocket performed normally during the early stages of flight. But then, as expected, a news blackout was imposed.

Richard McKinney, deputy under secretary of the Air Force for space programs, was a bit cagey in a post-launch statement.

"Launch is a very demanding business and having what appears to be a successful launch is always good news," he said.

McKinney said he was pleased with initial status.

Air Force launches unmanned spacecraft - USATODAY.com

 

[Thomas]

^^ I thought the scenario for prompt global strike was North Korea or Iran was fueling up a ballistic missile on the launch pad and the US needed to take it out in less than 2 hours with a conventional warhead. Short of a conventional ICBM or hypersonic cruise missile, the US doesn't have this capability right now. B2 and F-22 would take too long. Also, a conventional ICBM would set off alarms in Russia and China, not the safest thing to do.

Okay, if its surveillance, what do you think X-37 can do that KH-12 and U2 can't??

there are many places a U-2 can not fly. And Keyhole life spans are not that high Aprox 3-5 years. If you want to get an idea of what is and has been developed over the last few years I suggest purusing the congressional black budgets from 2007 on. As well as the DARPA bid solicitations for 2007 to present. Wired magazine has a nice article on the subject 3.11: Exposing the Black Budget


As far as hitting North Korean missiles they take upwards of 24 hours to fuel. More then enough time to strike. Though we would most likely wait for it to launch and use the SM-3 to destroy it once it was determined what it's trajectory was.

 

[Kinetic]

most likely reconnaissance, or as a testbed for technologies that would go on a larger version with a different mission. Or both!

Recon? Are you sure? I think US spy satellites are more than enough. Its most probably for 'different mission'.

Prompt Global Strike. It's an atmospheric bomber or testing atmospheric bombing technology. The weaponization of space has already begun.

Prompt Global Strike most likely. But this is not new, I think Buran had similar capability though never deployed.

 

[TruthSeeker]

More Secret X-37B Space Plane Missions Expected, U.S. Military Says

Stephen Clark, Spaceflight Now, 11 March 2011 Time: 12:03 PM ET

The U.S. Air Force and Boeing anticipate more missions of the X-37B space plane to finish testing the craft's flight characteristics and carry top secret experiments into orbit, but there is no firm timetable for additional launches of the robotic mini-space shuttle, according to military officials.

Boeing's Phantom Works division built two X-37 vehicles for the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, a unit managed from the Pentagon that develops shadowy and fast-track programs for the military. [Photos: Air Force Launches 2nd Secret X-37B Mission]

The second X-37B, also called the Orbital Test Vehicle, launched several hundred miles above Earth Saturday (March 5) on an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla. It will stay into orbit for up to 270 days, according to Air Force officials.

With short wings, V-shaped tail stabilizers and a landing gear, the X-37B space plane launches into orbit inside the nose cone of an Atlas rocket, opens cargo bay doors and unfurls a solar panel for up to nine months of operations, then returns to Earth with a fiery atmospheric re-entry and glides to a precise runway touchdown on autopilot.

But almost everything the unmanned space plane does while in orbit is classified. All of the research objectives are also guarded by the military. [Infographic: Inside the X-37B Space Plane]

More Secret X-37B Space Plane Missions Ahead | Space Weapons & Military Space | X-37B Space Plane, Spy Satellites & Space Technology | Space.com

 

[TruthSeeker]

Secret X-37B Space Plane Spotted Again by Amateur Skywatchers

Joe Rao, SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist, 28 March 2011 Time: 01:48 PM ET

After an intense search, a crew of amateur satellite sleuths has spotted the U.S. Air Force's second X-37B space plane – a robotic spacecraft that launched into orbit March 5.

The mission of the unmanned X-37B space plane, which is known officially as the Orbital Test Vehicle 2 (OTV-2), is shrouded in secrecy. The Boeing-built spacecraft is believed to be involved in reconnaissance — perhaps testing powerful sensors for a new generation of spy satellites. It looks much like a small version of NASA's space shuttles and blasted off from the Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

While its mission is secret, the OTV-2 itself has attracted the eyes of dedicated skywatchers hoping to spot it in orbit just as they saw its predecessor – the first X-37B spacecraft, OTV-1 – during the OTV-1's months-long flight last year.

A new video, recorded by amateur Canadian skywatcher Kevin Fetterof Brockville, Ontario, shows the OTV-2 as a bright point of light soaring across the night sky. [Video: Skywatcher Spots Second X-37B Space Plane]

Fetter was successful in getting video of the OTV-2 gliding past the binary star Eta Serpentis on March 24. The OTV-2 and the star can easily be seen with the naked eye, shining at a magnitude 3 on the scale astronomers use to measure the brightness of sky objects (with the lowest numbers representing the greatest brightness).

Secret X-37B Space Plane Caught On Video By Skywatchers | X-37B Space Plane, Secret Spaceships | Space Weapons, Air Force Space Planes | Space.com