The Air Force has successfully launched its robotic vehicle X-37 – an unmanned space plane that is similar in appearance to a small space shuttle. The X-37 was sent atop an Atlas V rocket, built by United Launch Alliance - a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

Since the development of the spacecraft has largely been kept under the wraps by the Air Force, there have been speculations galore that it may be used as a weapon.

The 29-foot-long reusable X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle – built by Boeing’s advanced research lab, Phantom Works, in Huntington Beach – was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, at 7:52 p. m. EDT, on Thursday.

According to the information forwarded by Air Force officials, the X-37 can stay in space for nearly nine month. Though the officials have refrained from disclosing the exact return date of the spacecraft, it has been revealed that it will land on a 15,000-foot runway at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

With the X-37 launch garnering immense public interest, a number of enthusiasts missed watching the live webcast of the event due to heavy web traffic. Commenting on the unprecedented public interest, United Launch Alliance spokesman Michael Rein said the attention that the mission got from the public was “a lot more than the norm.”