an experimental chinese spaceship It returned to Earth on Monday after being in orbit for 276 days, China’s state media reported completing a historic mission to test the country’s reusable space technologies.
The uncrewed spacecraft returned to the Jiuquan Launch Center in northwest China as scheduled on Monday, according to state media.
no details given about Space ship What technologies were tested, how high did it fly, and where have its orbits taken it since its launch in early August 2022. Images of the craft have also not yet been released to the public.
What is the purpose of the spacecraft?
The test marks a “significant” breakthrough in China’s research reusable spacecraft technology State media reported that it would provide a more convenient and cheaper way to mount future space missions.
In 2021, what could be a similar spacecraft flew to the edge of space and returned to Earth the same day in a mission that was largely kept under wraps. It landed on Earth “horizontally,” according to China’s main space contractor at the time.
Commentators on Chinese social media have speculated that Beijing is developing a spacecraft like the US Air Force’s X-37B, an autonomous spacecraft that could remain in orbit for years.
The unmanned and reusable X-37B returned to Earth last November in its sixth and latest mission, after more than 900 days in orbit.