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China’s secret plane reaches orbit as the X
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The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) has completed the launch of its secretive spaceplane from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert, state media firm Xinhua reported last night. The Chinese space plane was launched off a Long March 2F rocket, even as US plans to launch its X-37B space plane have been put off until an undefined date.
The US began its space plane program in 2010, and while it has remained tightlipped about the missions onboard, it has periodically shared images of the aircraft. On the other hand, China has been even more secretive, having not shared any images or even an illustration of its spacecraft.
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All information about the space plane missions has come from official media accounts or object tracking performed by US researchers such as Harvard astronomer Jonathan McDowell, who tracks rocket launches and space activities and gave additional information about the space plane's orbit in a post on X.
LAUNCH at about 1412 UTC of a CZ-2F with the third flight of the Chinese robot spaceplane (X-37 analog), placed in a 332 x 348 km x 50.0 deg orbit.
— Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) December 15, 2023
What we know about the Chinese space plane
First launched in 2020, China's reusable space plane is known as Shenlong or "Divine Dragon." Experts believe that the plane's design is much like the US Space Force's X-37 and is also launched to orbit vertically on a rocket while returning horizontally at a predesignated site.
The CASC has used the same statement for each launch, calling it a verification of reusable technology and using space science experiments to provide technical support for peaceful use of space.
The second launch of the Shenlong carried out in 2022 was notable since it lasted 276 days and saw the spacecraft launch an unidentified object into orbit. While details about the length of the third mission remain unknown, the CASC has improved the turnaround time for the vehicle launching the third mission in just seven months after completion of the second mission. The time gap between the first and the second missions was 13 months.
State of US space plane
In comparison, the US spaceplane X-37 last landed in November 2022 after a record 909 days in space but is struggling to take off for its seventh mission. Dubbed USSF-52, the mission was initially planned for December 7 but later pushed to December 12 on account of delays in pad availability, bad weather, and "ground side issue."
Interesting Engineering previously reported how the X-37 could be on its way to its highest flight to date on SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket. However, the launch date is now nowhere in sight after SpaceX scrubbed the launch for "additional system checkouts."
We are standing down from tomorrow’s Falcon Heavy launch of USSF-52 to perform additional system checkouts. The payload remains healthy while teams work toward the next best launch opportunity. We’re also keeping an eye on the weather and will announce a new launch date once… pic.twitter.com/xo6TwkqatD
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 13, 2023
While this could be a minor setback, the rising intensity of the space race between the two nations means that the X-37 is poised for new and bigger roles in the future. With Sierra Space's Dream Chaser facing delays, the US could pump in more funding to keep the X-37 program running and test its highly secretive payloads to keep up with China, Air and Space Forcesreported earlier.
This report carried information that appeared in the South China Morning Postand SpaceNews.com.
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