China launches secretive 'reusable experimental spacecraft'
A Chinese space plane may be cruising in orbit above us right now.
- Finalist for the Nesta Tipping Point prize and a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
The Long March 5 carrying Tianwen-1 to Mars on July 22. A beefier version of the Chinese Long March rocket -- the 2F -- carried the suspected space plane to orbit Friday.
China says it has successfully launched a "reusable experimental spacecraft" under increased levels of secrecy. Space industry watchers believe it to be some sort of unmanned space plane similar to the X-37B operated by the US Air Force and Space Force in recent years.
A short statement from China's state-run Xinhua media outlet announced the launch from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Friday.
"After a period of in-orbit operation, the spacecraft will return to the scheduled landing site in China. It will test reusable technologies during its flight, providing technological support for the peaceful use of space," the statement reads.
The mission was conducted under a veil of extra secrecy, with no official launch photos or even the time of launch made public.
"That leads one to think this is not only a space plane, it's a military space plane," said Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics astronomer Jonathan McDowell on a European Space Agency sponsored Zoom conference Friday.
China previously announced its intentions to test a space plane, in 2017, and there've been reports out of the country for months now that preparations were underway.
At the Jiuquan cosmodrome in northwestern China, preparations are underway for the launch of the Long March 2F rocket. Perhaps a prototype of a reusable spacecraft, an analogue of the Boeing X-37(OTV) or Space Rider, will be tested. #China #Asia #Space #news #rocket pic.twitter.com/0ljOduTChG
— Smith Gaski (@Smit_Gaski) March 4, 2020
The American X-37B has made autonomous flights lasting over two years. It's not clear how long this new Chinese spacecraft will stay in orbit.
Satellite watcher Michael Thompson noted that if it's meant to be a short mission, it could come back to Earth in less than 24 hours:
Update with the actual TLEs from the launch. If this is going to be really short mission, the first reentry opportunities that line up with the tracking ships/ground stations are likely to be around:
— Michael Thompson (@M_R_Thomp) September 4, 2020
Sep 5 0:45 UTC
Sep 5 2:30 UTC
Sep 5 4:00 UTC https://t.co/MiTBdhpa29
We'll update this story once we have more information about the craft or its flight.