Science

China carries out secretive launch of 'reusable experimental spacecraft'

September 05, 2020 09:33·
A 58 metre tall Long March 2F rocket lifting off from the Jiuquan satellite launching center in October 2016 carrying two astronauts inside the Shenzhou 11 space capsule. Image CN

A 58 metre tall Long March 2F rocket lifting off from the Jiuquan satellite launching center in October 2016 carrying two astronauts inside the Shenzhou 11 space capsule. Image CN

It is scheduled to return to a Chinese landing site at an unspecified date.

It's uncertain precisely what the spacecraft appears like, as there aren't any main renders or pictures of the lorry.

China said in 2017 that it aimed to test reusable spacecraft by 2020. He keeps in mind that a spaceplane launch falls in line with China's mentioned objectives for area expedition.

The spacecraft was launched on a Long March-2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

China can be fairly deceptive about its launches, however there was hardly any ...

Appeared Change works In recent months the Long March 2F was driven to the launch tower for launch vehicles. The X-37B is also now in space, having departed for its sixth mission in May.

Also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle, the unmanned spacecraft takes off vertically and returns to the Earth horizontally on a runway landing.

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China on Friday successfully launched a reusable experimental spacecraft whose mission details have been kept secret, according to media reports. This led to speculation that the work would allow a launch with a payload wider than a standard Long March 2F mission.

Chen said that the spacecraft will be easier to maintain and can improve the frequency of launches at lower cost, bringing new opportunities for more people to travel into space. A wind space vehicle may require such preparation. A goal of 2030 for developing a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) spaceplane was also noted.

The unnamed official refused to disclose any information about the Chinese spacecraft, only advising journalists to "take a look at the US X-37B". Plans included a fully reusable launch vehicle and about 2045 nuclear-powered shuttles.

China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), another giant state-owned enterprise, is operating its own spacecraft called Tengyun.

At the time, Chen Hongbo, a researcher from the corporation said "unlike traditional one-off spacecraft, the new spacecraft will fly into the sky like an aircraft". It will revolutionize space transportation in the future, "Zhang Hongwein of Casic told CCTV in 2018".

The Long March 2F has launched 14 times, lofting crewed and uncrewed Shenzhou missions and two Tiangong space labs.

The Yuanwang space tracking spacecraft had already been deployed in the Atlantic and ocean regions to support the launch of a spacecraft in an orbit tilted about 45 degrees from Jiuquan.

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