HELSINKI — China launched its experimental reusable spacecraft for the third time Thursday while maintaining strict secrecy across the mission.
A Long March 2F rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center within the Gobi Desert Dec. 14, sending a “reusable test spacecraft” into low Earth orbit, Chinese language state media Xinhua reported.
Airspace closure notices suggest a launch time of around 10:00 a.m. Eastern (1500 UTC), however the report, published inside an hour of expected launch, didn’t provide a time. The terse report stated that the test spacecraft will “operate in orbit for a time period” before returning to its intended landing site in China.
“During this era, reusable technology verification and space science experiments might be carried out as planned to offer technical support for the peaceful use of space,” the report read, in response to a machine translation.
The gap between the spacecraft’s first and second missions—launching in 2020 and 2022 respectively—was one yr and 11 months. The third launch comes just over seven months after the spacecraft returned to Earth after its 276-day-long second mission.
The shortened time between missions suggests the spacecraft’s developer, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), has made progress in elements referring to reusability of the spacecraft.
China has revealed no details of its experimental reusable spacecraft project. No images of any of the launches have been published. The suspected spaceplane is launched vertically on a Long March 2F, a rocket used to launch China’s Shenzhou crewed missions.
The launcher has a payload capability of just over eight metric tons to low Earth orbit. This means that the spacecraft might be somewhat similar in size and performance to U.S. Air Force’s X-37B spaceplane.
This notion is reinforced by apparent images of the payload fairing wreckage recovered from the second launch and posted on the Sina Weibo social media site. The pictures give possible clues as to the scale and shape of the spacecraft.
The previous missions included deploying satellites into orbit and can have involved scientific and other experiments. The spacecraft also performed quite a few small and far larger orbital maneuvers during its second flight. The third flight will likely have a unique scope and seek to further test the spacecraft’s capabilities.
The reusable spacecraft could be the orbital segment which is able to operate together with a reusable suborbital first stage. A reusable suborbital spacecraft was tested for the primary time in 2021. A second mission launched in August 2022. The suborbital craft uses a vertical takeoff and a horizontal landing.
CASC has previously stated plans to develop a completely reusable, two-stage-to-orbit (TSTO) space transportation system. CASC’s spaceplane project last yr acquired national level funding from the Natural Science Foundation of China.
Sino-U.S. space competition
The U.S. began launching its reusable X-37B in 2010. It is about to launch on its seventh mission on a Falcon Heavy rocket later this month. The launch has been hit with delays in recent days. The mission will test recent orbital regimes, experiment with space domain awareness technologies, and investigate radiation effects on materials provided by NASA.
The Chinese and Boeing’s X-37B projects may, despite opacity surrounding respective intentions and capabilities, be illustrative of the broader space situation.
“Based on what little information now we have, I believe the Shenlong [Chinese spaceplane] and the X-37B are likely doing most of the same missions,” Brian Weeden, Director of Program Planning on the Secure World Foundation, told . “That’s, primarily getting used for experimenting and testing recent technologies, sensors, and maybe even operational practices.
“I believe each programs are reflective of the present relationship between the US and China,” says Weeden. “Each sees the opposite’s secretive spaceplane program as a possible threat and destabilizing weapon, while insisting that their very own program is essential but benign.”
“That to me signals that we’re within the midst of a security dilemma in space, where actions taken by either side to strengthen their very own security find yourself adding to the instability in the general relationship.”
Mission | Launch Date | Landing Date | Duration | Time Since Previous Mission | Launch Site | Landing Site |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mission 1 | September 4, 2020 | September 6, 2020 | 2 days | N/A | Jiuquan spaceport | Lop Nur air base |
Mission 2 | August 4, 2022 | May 8, 2023 | ~276 days | 1 yr, 11 months | Jiuquan spaceport | Lop Nur air base |
Mission 3 | December 14, 2023 | N/A | N/A | 7 months, 6 days | Jiuquan spaceport | N/A |
The event of reusable spacecraft technology is an element of China’s broader technique to turn into a serious spacefaring nation. Chinese President Xi Jinping has set a national goal for China to turn into a robust aerospace country. Xi also noted the space industry to be a critical element of overall national strategy.
Further Chinese efforts
CASIC, a sister giant defense and space contractor, is working by itself TSTO spaceplane, named Tengyun.
Chinese industrial firm Space Transportation raised greater than $46.3 million for its hypersonic spaceplane plans in 2021. The firm stated last yr it was aiming for space tourism test flights in 2025.
China has been searching for to spice up its flexibility and range of access to space in recent times. In 2014 the federal government allowed private capital into the space sector to assist foster a industrial space sector.
Business launch firms now operate numerous solid and liquid launch vehicles. Hop tests are actually underway at Jiuquan as firms try to develop reusable rocket capabilities.
CASC is meanwhile developing a brilliant heavy-lift reusable launch vehicle named Long March 9. The Long March 10, intended to launch crew and take astronauts to the moon, can have a potentially reusable first stage.