Developing reusable space transportation technology: Chinese spacecraft returns to Earth after inaugural flight

[xizhimen]

Chinese spacecraft returns to Earth after inaugural flight
Thomson Reuters

Jul 16, 2021 | 8:44 AM

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese spacecraft capable of flying to the edge of the atmosphere took off and returned to Earth on the same day in what China said was a big step towards developing reusable space transportation technology. The spacecraft li...
BEIJING (Reuters) – A Chinese spacecraft capable of flying to the edge of the atmosphere took off and returned to Earth on the same day in what China said was a big step towards developing reusable space transportation technology.

The spacecraft lifted off from a launch centre in northwest China on Friday and completed its flight according to “set procedures”, said China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), the country’s main space contractor.

It then landed back on Earth “horizontally”, CASC said in a statement.

A spacecraft that can fly to suborbital space ought to be able to travel to as high as 100 km (62 miles) above the Earth’s surface. The CASC did not say how high the spacecraft flew, or elaborate on its flight path. Visuals of the spacecraft or its flight were not provided.

“The development of reusable space transportation technology is an important symbol of China’s transition from a ‘big’ space-faring nation to a ‘powerful’ space-faring one,” CASC said.

Reusable spacecraft would lead to higher frequency of missions and lower mission costs due to its reusability.

In September last year, China sent an experimental spacecraft into orbital space on a rocket. The spacecraft returned to Earth after two days in orbit on its low-key mission.

Commentators on Chinese social media have speculated that Beijing has been developing a spacecraft like the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B, an autonomous spaceplane that can remain in orbit for long periods of time before flying back to Earth on its own.

It is not known if both the orbital and suborbital spacecraft launched by China had fixed wings like the U.S. Space Shuttle.

Chinese spacecraft returns to Earth after inaugural flight

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese spacecraft capable of flying to the edge of the atmosphere took off and returned to Earth on the same day in what China said was a big step towards developing reusable space transportation technology. The spacecraft li...

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[xizhimen]

China takes a step towards developing space plane with test flight hailed as symbol of country’s rise as a ‘space superpower’

• Friday’s test of an experimental vessel is a step towards the development of a hypersonic vehicle that could reach any corner of the earth within an hour

• One day the country hopes to develop a network of reusable transport vessels that would cruise at high speeds at a suborbital level

Published: 12:32pm, 17 Jul, 2021

China has successfully tested an experimental spacecraft that state media has hailed “an important symbol of China’s rise from a space power to a space superpower”.

The vessel was described by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) as laying “a solid foundation for the development of China’s reusable space transportation technology between earth and space” – in other words laying a foundation for the development of a reusable hypersonic space plane.

The CASC announced its plans to build a reusable space transport system last year, which would involve building a series of spacecraft that take off and land like regular planes, but can reach any corner of the earth within an hour by flying at least five times the speed of sound at a suborbital altitude.

A network of these planes would be cheaper to operate than conventional rockets because they are easier to maintain and have a shorter preparation time.

The programme aims to complete the development of the space planes by around 2045, but the first phase of the project involves the development of a rocket-powered vertical take-off landing vehicle.

On Friday the unnamed vessel – which was described as a “reusable suborbital vehicle” – was launched from the Jiuquan launch centre in Gansu province and completed its maiden flight as programmed, and landed safely in an airfield in nearby Inner Mongolia, according to state news agency Xinhua.

“[It] can be used as a substage of a reusable space transport system powered by lift rocket engines, which is an advanced integration of space and aviation technology,” according to CASC, the developer of the vessel and the main contractor for the country’s space programme.

The US military has been working on a similar project with the XS-1 programme, which aimed to develop a reusable space plane that could deliver small satellites into orbit.

But last year the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) said the programme had ended after the contractor Boeing quit.

Last year, China announced that it had successfully tested another space plane that was launched from a rocket and orbited the earth for two days and successfully returned to earth.

The mission was hailed by state media as a “key breakthrough” and the vessel is believed to be similar to the US Air Force’s X-37B robotic orbiter.

Such technology could be used as a vital weapon in space, because the vessels – essentially a type of hypersonic drone – could be used to attack satellites, space stations or ground targets and be used to intercept ballistic missiles.

Test flight helps China take a step towards developing space plane

Friday’s test of an experimental vessel is a step towards the development of a hypersonic vehicle that could reach any corner of the Earth within an hour.

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