An experimental Chinese spacecraft returned to Earth on Monday after staying in orbit for 276 days, China’s state media reported. Image for Representation.
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An experimental Chinese spacecraft returned to Earth on Monday after staying in orbit for 276 days, China’s state media reported, finishing a landmark mission to check the nation’s reusable area applied sciences.
The uncrewed spacecraft returned to the Jiuquan launch centre in northwest China on Monday as scheduled, in accordance to state media.
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No particulars got on what the spacecraft was, what applied sciences had been examined, how excessive it flew, and the place its orbits had taken it since its launch in early August 2022. Images of the craft have additionally but to be launched to the general public.
The check marks an “important” breakthrough in China’s analysis into reusable spacecraft know-how that may present a extra handy and cheap manner to mount future area missions, state media reported.
In 2021, what could have been an analogous spacecraft flew to the sting of area and returned to Earth on the identical day in a mission that was additionally saved largely below wraps. It landed on Earth “horizontally,” in accordance to China’s foremost area contractor on the time.
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Commentators on Chinese social media have speculated that Beijing has been growing a spacecraft just like the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B, an autonomous spaceplane that may stay in orbit for years.
The uncrewed and reusable X-37B returned to Earth in November final yr in its sixth and newest mission, after greater than 900 days in orbit.
- An experimental Chinese spacecraft returned to Earth on Monday after staying in orbit for 276 days, China’s state media reported, finishing a landmark mission to check the nation’s reusable area applied sciences.
- No particulars got on what the spacecraft was, what applied sciences had been examined, how excessive it flew, and the place its orbits had taken it since its launch in early August 2022. Images of the craft have additionally but to be launched to the general public.
- The check marks an “important” breakthrough in China’s analysis into reusable spacecraft know-how that may present a extra handy and cheap manner to mount future area missions, state media reported.
