Mysterious Chinese Uncrewed Spacecraft Returns After 276 Days in Orbit; A Breakthrough Into Reusable, Inexpensive Shuttle for Space Missions

China made huge progress in its research for reusable spacecraft. The country announced that a spacecraft launched last year had returned after nearly a year.

China Lands Mysterious Reusable Spacecraft

A reusable spacecraft has made its way back to Earth after 276 days in orbit, according to Chinese official media on Monday, per The Register.

Although there were few specifics available regarding the craft's purpose or mission, it was hailed as a breakthrough in the peaceful use of space when it launched in August 2022.

The vessel is believed to be a spaceplane and may have room for up to six crew members.

The X-37B spacecraft from the USA is regarded as the most capable spacecraft currently in use because it has demonstrated the ability to alter its orbit and has recently orbited for more than 900 days. That is a rarely shown spacecraft capability that many believe China is also trying to achieve.

However, Chinese media reports do not mention the mission's strategic importance. Instead, the mission is referred to as a significant development in China's research on reusable spacecraft technologies, which will eventually lead to more practical and cost-effective round-trip space travel options for peaceful purposes.

The identical spacecraft may have flown for the same mission in 2021. However, it flew to space at the time and returned to Earth on the same day.

The mission was also kept a secret. The Asahi Shimbun reported that China's main contractor said the spacecraft landed on Earth horizontally.

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What Is X-37B Spacecraft?

The unmanned X-37B spacecraft operated by the U.S. Air Force has completed four covert missions carrying classified payloads on lengthy orbits around the Earth, Space.com reported.

Although much smaller, the robotic vehicle resembles NASA's well-known space shuttle. The X-37B has an approximate length of 29 feet (8.8 meters), a height of 9.5 feet (2.9 meters), and a wingspan of just under 15 feet (4.6 meters). It has a launch weight of 11,000 lbs. (4.990 kg).

Its payload bay is roughly the size of a pickup truck at 7 feet long and 4 feet wide. It's unknown exactly what the X-37B is carrying within, though. Officials from the Air Force typically only discuss the program's overall objectives while reiterating that each payload is secret.

According to the Air Force, the X-37 B's main goals are to operate experiments that can be brought back to Earth and studied there and to develop reusable spacecraft technology for America's future in space.

Like the space shuttle, the solar-powered X-37B spacecraft rises vertically with a rocket's help and then flies back to Earth for a runway landing. The tiny spacecraft is intended to fly between 177 and 805 kilometers (110 to 500 miles) above the ground.

On Nov. 12, 2022, at 05:22 a.m., the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle-6 (OTV-6) successfully deorbited and touched down at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility, according to Space Force News.

The service module, a ring affixed to the back of the vehicle that increases the number of experiments that can be housed during a trip, was originally introduced on OTV-6. According to Gen. Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations, this mission emphasizes the Space Force's priority on fostering partnerships for low-cost access to space for our partners inside and outside the Department of the Air Force (DAF). Due to the aerodynamic forces, the service module successfully disengaged from the OTV before landing.