China successfully launched its top-secret space plane for the third time on Thursday, adding to its growing space capabilities and leaving the US Space Force still waiting for its X-37B to get off the ground after multiple delays.
The Chinese “reusable experimental spacecraft” took off atop a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert, according to state news agency Xinhua. The report did not reveal technical details, images, or the expected duration of the mission, mirroring the secrecy of previous launches in 2020 and 2022.
The spacecraft is expected to operate in orbit for a period of time before returning to its intended landing site in China. Reusable technology verification and space science experiments will be conducted to support the peaceful use of space, according to the report, following the same pattern as the previous missions.
Jonathan McDowell, a Harvard astronomer, stated that the uncrewed plane was being tracked by the US Space Force in a circular orbit at an altitude of about 300km. The mission’s success marks another milestone for China’s space program, which aims to establish a presence in low earth orbit and rival the capabilities of other space-faring nations.
The US counterpart, the Boeing X-37B, remains grounded atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, following delays attributed to poor weather and launch site issues. The mission, known as USSF-52, will be the US plane’s seventh mission to orbit since 2010 and its second ride with a SpaceX rocket. Its objectives include operating in new orbital regimes, experimenting with space domain awareness technologies, and investigating the effects of radiation on materials, according to a Space Force statement in November.
China’s timed launch has sparked speculation about competition with the US, with Chief of Space Operations General Chance Saltzman stating that the X-37B’s future could be brighter than ever thanks to China’s competition with the Pentagon. The country’s space plane is similar in size and purpose to the X-37B, and has been used to test new technologies rather than for operational missions, according to McDowell.
China’s previous space plane missions have shown promising results, with the second mission lasting about nine months. In May, Xinhua reported that it returned to Earth after a 276-day journey in orbit, marking “an important breakthrough” for China’s research on reusable and affordable spacecraft technologies.
As the global space race heats up, both China and the US are pushing the boundaries of space exploration, with each country’s advances driving the other to greater heights.