China secretive space plane has returned to Earth . Its mission ? Unknown

China s secretive space plane, believed to be the country s reusable experimental spacecraft, has successfully returned to Earth after more than eight months in orbit. This development marks a significant advancement in the largely covert space race between the United States and China to develop such technology. China s spacecraft launched in December, two weeks ahead of the US military s Boeing X-37B uncrewed space plane. The Chinese spacecraft completed its third known orbital mission, landing at an unnamed site as announced by state news agency Xinhua. The mission was declared a complete success, although little is publicly known about the spacecraft s specific technologies or capabilities. China s interest in space plane technology stems from a desire to catch up to the US, which has long been the world s preeminent space power. The space plane, which is smaller than the shuttle and uncrewed, is valued for its potential to carry out a range of missions in orbit and advance reusable spacecraft technology for more regular human space travel. The Chinese space plane program remains shrouded in secrecy, with little information released about the specific technologies tested or the name of the spacecraft. However, observers suspect it is the Shenlong space plane, which has been under development for two decades. The official purpose of Shenlong remains unconfirmed, though it is believed to be a civilian project. The development of China s space plane comes amid growing attention to the connections between security on Earth and in space, with various countries vying for counterspace technologies. While there is no evidence that China s space plane is designed as a counterspace weapon, the information and capabilities gained on its missions could have dual-use applications. In comparison, the US X-37B space plane has been in operation for years longer and has stayed in orbit significantly longer. The US Space Force describes it as a reusable, uncrewed spacecraft that conducts technology experiments to expedite the development of next-generation capabilities. Overall, China s successful return of its space plane demonstrates the country s progress in space technology and its ambition to close the gap with the US in military, commercial, and scientific realms. However, the high

Source: keyt.com
Published on 2024-09-13

China secretive space plane has returned to Earth »

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