Outerspace

The XS-1 spaceplane moves closer to take off: US military funds craft that could launch spy satellites and weapons by 2019

The mysterious X-37b spaceplane has captured the imagination of many, with some suggesting it is a spy plane and others who think it could be a space bomber.

But now its big brother is one step closer to being built thanks to funding from the US military.

The plane-like craft is known as the XS-1 program, short for 'eXperimental Spaceplane 1', and could blast off in 2019 on its first test mission.

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) is now entering the second and third phases of its ambitious program, which aims to make launching satellites a daily occurrence.

The XS-1 will be an airplane-like vehicle that can fly to the edge of Earth's atmosphere and quickly boost small satellites into orbit.