An experimental Chinese spacecraft that had been in orbit for 276 days made a successful landing on Monday, according to China’s state-run media. This important mission had the objective of evaluating China’s reusable space technologies.
The unmanned spacecraft arrived at the Jiuquan launch complex in northwest China as planned. The mission of the spacecraft tested technologies, altitude attained, orbital trajectory, and even visible images of the craft have not yet been made public.
According to state media, this test represents a significant development in China’s study of reusable spacecraft technology, which will help make future space missions more practical and affordable.
A similar spacecraft, possibly of the same kind, traveled to the edge of space and returned to Earth on the same day in a mission that was largely classified in 2021. The main space contractor for China at the time claimed that the landing was “horizontal.”
Chinese social media commentators have speculated that Beijing may be working on a spacecraft similar to the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B, an autonomous spaceplane capable of staying in orbit for extended periods of time.
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