The small, planelike craft is known as the XS-1. It is hoped the craft could quickly launch small satellites that could defend against the growing threat of Russian and Chinese space weapons.
Daily Mail: The X-37b's big brother revealed: Boeing bags $6.6m contract to design reusable XS-1 robot spaceplane that will launch secret spy satellites and space weapons
* XS-1 spacecraft will be far larger than secretive X-37b test plane
* Expected to use engine developed by Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin
* Will fly like a normal plane, releasing second stage to launch satellite
* Can then return to Earth and fly again within 24 hours
Boeing has been awarded a $6.6m contract to design a cheap, reusable mini shuttle that can launch military satellites.
The small, planelike craft is known as the XS-1 program—short for 'eXperimental Spaceplane 1', and could blast off in 2019 on its first test mission.
It is hoped the craft could quickly launch small satellites that could defend against the growing threat of Russian and Chinese space weapons.
Update: Boeing's Experimental XS-1 Will Shape How We Fight Wars in Space -- Inverse
WNU Editor: Yup .... the shape of things to come.
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