As China recently invested in its space capabilities, it is now becoming one of the major competitors of the U.S. in aerospace technology. According to Defense One, China could overtake the Uace for space dominance. As China enhances the militarization of its space activities, it continues to develop crafts for research and surveillance.
A mysterious unmanned spacecraft from China returns after spending nine months orbiting the Earth, making the country one of the nations that operated a reusable spacecraft successfully. It is the second orbital mission of the robotic space plane, with its first mission on September 2020, which lasted only two days.
China has not yet disclosed details regarding the design and operation of the spacecraft. However, aerospace engineers based their observations on the fragments of the craft and pieced them together to speculate about its potential use for research and the military.
The experimental spacecraft was launched on August 2022 using a Long March 2F rocket which was also used in launching Shenzhou crewed space missions. Based on the observations in this launch, experts predict that the launch vehicle has a maximum payload capacity of 8.4 tonnes. This means the spaceplane would probably weigh about 5 to 8 tonnes.
According to Chinese state media agency Xinhua, "The complete success of this experiment marks a significant breakthrough in our country's research on reusable spacecraft technology." It also hints that researchers in China are developing technology specifically for reusable crafts like heat shields and landing equipment.
Resemblance to U.S. Test Vehicle
Senior research scientist Kevin Pollpeter from the Center for Naval Analyses claims the Chinese spacecraft resembles the U.S. spaceplane Boeing X-37B. Although the use of X-37B is still not confirmed, Pollpeter says that the Chinese government got interested in its military capacity when it was introduced in 2010.
Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell from the Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian agreed, saying that satellite sensing observed the gliding and performance of the spacecraft, which suggests that it is a plane. Predictions from engineers indicate that this mysterious spacecraft is smaller than the space shuttles from NASA, which conducted crewed missions. However, McDowell says that he would not be surprised if China introduced a larger plane that could carry members in the future.
China's Plans for Aerospace Development
After injecting rocket fuel into its aerospace industry, China has made it clear that it is pursuing the goal of becoming a global leader in space technology. The country acknowledges that improvements in its aerospace activity will be key to its economic growth. Because of this, the Chinese government boosted advanced manufacturing to lessen its reliance on the U.S. and other countries.
In 2014, China started its wide-ranging civil-military national strategy. It has also allotted an $8 billion budget for space missions, estimated to be the second-largest allocation in the world. Beijing-based iSpace made history by being the first privately funded rocket company to launch a satellite into orbit. After that, there has been plenty of competition among rocket manufacturers in China.
Regarding commercial launch services, China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) will carry out space technology collaboration under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Launch Opportunities. It has announced its plans for 2023 and 2024, with scheduled launches for nine missions.
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