The Chinese reusable experimental spacecraft (Chinese: 可重复使用试验航天器; pinyin: Kě chóngfù shǐyòng shìyàn hángtiān qì; lit. 'Reusable Experimental Spacecraft'; CSSHQ) is the first reusable spacecraft produced by China. It embarked upon its initial orbital mission on 4 September 2020.[3][4][2][5] According to media reports, the CSSHQ is launched into Earth orbit in a vertical configuration while enclosed within the payload fairings of a rocket like a traditional satellite or space capsule, but it returns to Earth via a runway landing like a conventional aircraft; the landing is conducted autonomously (unlike the Space Shuttle). In the absence of any official descriptions of the spacecraft or photographic depictions thereof, some observers have speculated that the CSSHQ may resemble the X-37B spaceplane of the United States in both form and function.[6][7]
| Spacecraft properties | |
|---|---|
| Spacecraft type | Reusable spacecraft |
| Manufacturer | Undisclosed |
| Launch mass | Undisclosed |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 4 September 2020, 07:30 UTC[1](1st launch) 4 August 2022, 16:00 UTC (2nd launch) 14 December 2023, 14:12 UTC (3rd launch) |
| Rocket | Long March 2F |
| Launch site | Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | 6 September 2020, 02:00 UTC [2](1st landing) 8 May 2023, (2nd landing) |
| Landing site | Lop Nur, runway 05 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit[1] |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Periapsis altitude | 332 km |
| Apoapsis altitude | 348 km |
| Inclination | 50.20° |
| Period | 90.0 minutes (?) |
Operational history
Mission 1
The spacecraft's first mission began on 4 September 2020 at 07:30 UTC when it was launched into low earth orbit via a Long March 2F carrier rocket; the launch occurred at China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, located in the Gobi Desert. According to the Xinhua News Agency, "(a)fter 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".[6]
Unofficial reports indicate that the spacecraft is part of the Shenlong spaceplane, which is claimed to be similar to the Boeing X-37B.[8]
On 6 September 2020, two days after the launch, the CSSHQ successfully returned to the Earth.[9][7] According to observers Marco Langbroek and Jonathan McDowell, the spacecraft's landing site was an airbase located at Lop Nur, China.[2]
On 7 September 2020, commercial satellite reconnaissance company Planet Labs published a satellite photo of a 3.1-mile (5.0 km) runway at Lop Nur, taken shortly after the landing of the spaceplane.[10] Astronomer Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics speculated that one of the dots visible on the image of the runway was the Chinese spaceplane.[10]
On 8 September 2020, Spaceflight Now reported that US analysts had detected the launch at 7:30 GMT on the fourth of September and that the craft's orbital axes were 332 kilometres (206 mi) by 348 kilometres (216 mi), and inclined by 50.2 degrees with respect to the equator.[1]
Mission 2
On 4 August 2022 at around 16:00 UTC, the CSSHQ was launched for a second time, again on top of a Long March 2F rocket.[11] The spacecraft was observed to have raised its orbit on 25 August 2022 to a near-circular 597 by 608-kilometre orbit.[12] On 8 May 2023, the CSSHQ returned to Earth after 276 days in orbit.[13]
Mission 3
On 14 December 2023 at around 14:12 UTC, the CSSHQ was launched for a third time, again on top of a Long March 2F rocket. Since 14 December 2023, the CSSHQ has been in orbit for approximately 210 days and 7 hours.[14]
List of missions
As of 2023, there is no information in the western media regarding the total number of CSSHQ spacecraft which may have been built or in operation.
| Flight | Vehicle | Launch date | Landing date | Launcher | Duration | Notes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mission 1 | unknown | 4 September 2020 07:30 UTC | 6 September 2020 | Long March 2F | 2 days |
| Success |
| mission 2 | unknown | 4 August 2022 16:00 UTC | 8 May 2023 | Long March 2F | 276 days |
| Success |
| mission 3 | unknown | 14 December 2023 ~14:12 UTC | — | Long March 2F | 210 days and 7 hours (in progress) | Operational |
Specifications
Chen Hongbo, of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the main contractor for China's space agency, said during a 2017 interview that China's space plane would be able to be re-used up to 20 times.[1][15] Chen said the vehicle's first stage would use a scramjet engine.[16]
On 24 March 2020, officials said the vehicle[clarification needed][dubious – discuss] was designed to carry a crew of six.[17] Its takeoff weight would be 21.6 tonnes, and it would be 8.8 metres (29 ft) long.[17][better source needed]
It is not known if the above reported statements directly or indirectly pertain to the CSSHQ program or to some other real or speculative project of a related nature.
Speculation over the spaceplane's role
When asked to speculate on the spaceplane's role Brian Weeden, director of program planning for the Secure World Foundation said, "It's a great question. We're not even really sure why the U.S. military is pursuing a space plane."[10]
Jonathan McDowell speculated that the very high speeds the spaceplane underwent during re-entry might help the Chinese in their development of hypersonic missiles.[10] He added the Chinese may have thought, "If the Americans have one of those, there's got to be a good reason for it, so we better get one too."[10]
See also
- Boeing X-37 – American reusable spacecraft
- Shenlong
