US military launches top secret mini shuttle & North Korea's satellite has gone nuts

[ajaidev]

The US military has launched a rocket containing a small space shuttle from Cape Canaveral in Florida as part of an ongoing top secret test programme.

Read more: http://vr-zone.com/articles/us-milit...#ixzz2F2FWEw8i


Yesterday, we reported on North Korea's new rocket test, which placed an object (according to the North Koreans it was a weather satellite) in orbit

Read more: http://vr-zone.com/articles/north-ko...#ixzz2F2FZHv8d


Wonder if the two are inter related :P The line "the object is now tumbling out of control, according to US officials" seems to pop out

[Petra]

My best guess is that the launch of the X-37B (OTV-1, as I recall) is unrelated to the North Korean launch. OTV-1 was originally scheduled to launch back in October, but they had to delay the launch due to some technical issues (at least, that's what was reported). Also, why does everyone (news-related) seem to act like the X-37 program is new? This started as a NASA program back in 1999 and was moved under DARPA/DOD control in 2004... granted, typical of government programs, it didn't see its first actual spaceflight until 2010.

That said, I think the X-37B is probably just being used to test experimental orbital payloads (likely ISR equipment which may be destined for future USAF satellites) as well as acting as a platform for furthering our understanding of hypersonic flight dynamics and controls.

[nullface]

Dont seem so top secret if VR-zone is writing about it...

[G.Foyle]

What Petra said. X-37B launch has been scheduled for December for a loooong time now, and it's on a much lower, less inclined orbit. Soyuz flight to ISS is scheduled for the 17th and it's mission is NOT to shoot down Korean weather satellite

[STaRGaZeR]

Why is this in the news section?

[zanzabar]

Dont seem so top secret if VR-zone is writing about it...

there is a difference between secret and black. the airforce runs commercials to join their space program and showed their rocket systems. you also are not going to hide a space launch. the secrecy is that they do not tell every one what they are dong.

[ajaidev]

I know this does not hold any water but its for fun, i guess my :P :P and did not give it away.

Why is this in the news section?

Its real news with a paranoid twist... Wear tin foil hats every1

[THX1138]

Why is this in the news section?

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