An experimental Chinese spacecraft landed in China on Monday after orbiting Earth for 276 days, Chinese state media reported. China wants to test reusable rocket technology with its spaceship.
According to Chinese media, the unmanned spacecraft returned to the Jiuquan launch site as planned. No details have been released about what the spacecraft was, what technologies it tested, how high it went, or where it has been since its launch in August 2022.
The test marks an “important” breakthrough in Chinese research into reusable spaceships that could make future space missions cheaper, according to Chinese state media.
In the year 2021, China launches a possibly similar spacecraft that lands on Earth the same day. No details about this spaceship were revealed either.
There is speculation on Chinese social media that Beijing is developing a spacecraft like the US Air Force’s X-37B, a spacecraft that can stay in orbit for years.
The unmanned, reusable X-37B returned last November after more than 900 days in orbit.
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