China’s secret reusable space plane has launched an object into orbit, according to tracking data from the US Space Force. China conducted the second launch of its “reusable experimental spacecraft” from Jiuquan in the Gobi desert atop a Long March 2F rocket on August 4. The spacecraft has now been in orbit for 90 days. Two weeks ago, the probe lifted off its perigee — or the point during its orbit at which the spacecraft is closest to Earth — and moved into a near-circular orbit of 597 by 608 kilometers.
In the latest development, the United States Space Force’s 18th Space Defense Wing tracked an object near the spacecraft. Space-track.org added a new record for an object in a similar orbit to the spacecraft on October 31. The object – the nature of which is unknown – is likely to be in very close proximity to the spacecraft, which is why it entered the database only after it could be recognized as a separate, discrete object with a high level of confidence. Robert Christy of Orbital Focus notes that the launch of the object could have occurred anytime between October 24 and October 31, while keeping the station close to space.
China has not released any updates on the mission since the brief statement announcing the spacecraft’s launch. No images of the vessel have been released. This is not the first time a spacecraft has ejected an object. The Chinese spacecraft released the object around two orbits before deorbiting at the end of its first two-day mission in September 2020. The object continued to transmit in the S band for weeks afterward. One possibility is that the object is a small spacecraft tracking satellite. Chinese crew capsules have previously launched small “Banxing” companion satellites for monitoring purposes. It could also be a test for putting small satellites into orbit.
Another possible explanation is that the object is a service module, noted astronomer and spacecraft tracker Jonathan McDowell in a tweet. Little is known about China’s space plane project. China’s space authorities closely guarded launch operations and announced their two missions only after the spacecraft were in orbit. Clues to the craft’s dimensions and shape emerged in August, but apparent images of the mission’s payload fairing have surfaced online. The spacecraft appears to be related to the development of the orbital segment of a fully reusable two-stage-to-orbit space transportation system. The suborbital segment – with vertical launch and horizontal landing – had its second flight this September.
The project recently received funding at the national level from the Natural Science Foundation of China.The project is considered to support the construction of China’s scientific and technological strength, aviation power and transportation power, and has practical social, technological, economic and other application values, according to the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), which develops the vehicles.
How long the spacecraft will remain in orbit is not known, but it will likely land at the Lop Nur base in Xinjiang, just as it did on its first flight. Satellite images indicate recent activity near the landing site.An analysis of the spacecraft’s orbit by Christy suggests that the spacecraft had an opportunity to deorbit and touch down at Lop Nur, the landing site of the first mission, late on November 1 UTC.
The new orbit has repeating ground orbits roughly every 71 hours, meaning the spacecraft will make flybys of Lop Nur and have the opportunity to land once every three days. However, opportunities over the coming weeks would include landings during the local night.Other reusable spacecraft or space plane projects are under consideration in China. China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp. (CASIC) is working on its own space plane called Tengyun, while commercial firm Space Transportation last year raised more than $46.3 million for its hypersonic space plane plans. A number of Chinese rocket companies have also created demonstrations including small spacecraft launching atop liquid rocket concepts.
