NASA's space shuttle program may be winding down, but the US Air Force's is just getting started. On April 22nd, the USAF launched an unmanned mini-shuttle from Cape Canaveral on a secret mission widely thought to involve reconnaissance. The X-37B can now be seen gliding through the night sky shining about as brightly as the stars of the Big Dipper.

The whereabouts of the X-37B were unknown until May 20th when amateur satellite watchers Greg Roberts of Cape Town, South Africa, and Kevin Fetter of Brockville, Canada, independently
spotted it. Another satellite sleuth, Ted Molczan of Toronto, Canada, combined their observations to determine the space plane's orbit.

The Boeing X-37 Orbital Test Vehicle is an American unpiloted spaceplane. It is operated by the U.S. Air Force for orbital spaceflight missions intended to demonstrate reusable space technologies.

The X-37 began as a NASA project in 1999, then was transferred to the US Department of Defense in 2004. It had its first flight as a drop test on April 7, 2006, at Edwards AFB. The spaceplane's first orbital mission, USA-212 was launched on April 22, 2010 using an Atlas V rocket.

Ready to see for yourself? Check the Simple Satellite Tracker at Spaceweather.com for X-37B flyby times.