According to the reports, a Canadian amateur astronomer captured footage of an alleged secret U. S. robotic space plane in orbit "by pure luck," he says.

The Globe and Mail reported on Monday that the robotic shuttle known as the X-37B was launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., April 22. Kevin Fetter of Brockville, Ontario, pointed his telescope at the night sky on Thursday before leaving for his night job at a PetroCanada filling station.

He also said that he hoped to capture footage of an out-of-service satellite on an attached DVD recorder.

When he watched the footage the next day, he saw a bright object cross the telescope's field of view.

Fetter said, "I saw it by pure luck, just because I was aimed at a certain area of sky."

He posted the time and coordinates on a Web site for amateur astronomers, which soon confirmed his sighting was the X-37B.

It has been reported that U. S. officials are saying little about the 5.5-ton next generation space shuttle, believed to be part of a program developing a new brand of spy satellites.

Toronto satellite watcher Ted Molczan said the craft's orbit, kept secret by military officials, is one commonly used by spy satellites.

Molczan said, "Even if you want to keep it a secret, if the guys with binoculars can find it, so can anyone."