[Satellite TODAY 04-06-10] The U.S. Air Force will launch its robotic X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle to conduct technology tests April 19, the U.S. Department of Defense announced April 5.
    The X-37B is an adaptation of an 11-year-old NASA and Boeing cooperative project to launch a compact spacecraft used for intelligence gathering or delivering small satellites.
    The test vehicle will launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla,. and return to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The Air Force said that while length of the mission has yet to be determined, the X-37B could be in orbit for up to 270 days.