We’re one step closer to star wars, and not the Disney redux that has movie geeks clutching their Death Star plush toys in fear. A real space battle is coming, and it’s the kind that involves lasers, warp-speed dogfights, and perhaps, just maybe, a real life Death Star.

This is according to media outlets and industry analysts who believe that the Air Force launched a military weapon into space this week. The Pentagon swears it’s a “test bed” for emerging technologies, but most, including superpowers Russia and China, aren’t convinced. Many believe that the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle is a secret military weapon.

Only the size of a school bus, and built by Boeing, the mini-shuttle will be circling the Earth without a stated purpose for 270 days, or about nine months. What comes after, no ones knows. The X-37B is a drone, so it has no pilot, which makes it all the more mysterious.

Air Force officials swear it’s just a “new way to test new technologies in space, such as satellite sensors,” as the Los Angeles Times suggests. But the lack of details and intended mission makes the claim a little fishy. After all, if your intentions were innocent, why go through so much work to hide them?

The first X-37 B launched back in 2010, with no lasers shooting from that one during its orbit, but the suspicion still remains that the military might be up to something questionable. Some fear that it might be a space bomber, capable of dropping nuclear weapons on our enemies, or even of destroying other satellites. Considering the military’s track record, the Empire might be knocking on our door soon enough.