China’s spaceplane raises orbit and national funding

[beijingwalker]

China’s spaceplane raises orbit and national funding​

by Andrew Jones — October 25, 2022

A view of the Jiuquan launch center from the Sentinel-2 satellite. China's reusable experimental spacecraft launched from the facility Sept. 4. Credit: Modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2020

HELSINKI — A spaceplane launched by China in August has performed an orbit-raising maneuver and recently secured new funding to promote new modes of transportation.

The “reusable experiment spacecraft” launched from Jiuquan in the Gobi Desert atop of a Long March 2F rocket Aug. 4. It has spent most of its 82 days in an orbit similar to the 346 by 593-kilometer orbit inclined by 50 degrees initially tracked by the U.S. Space Force’s 18th Space Defense Squadron (18 SDS).

Robert Christy of Orbital Focus noted a change in the orbit occurred Oct. 23, with the spacecraft raising its perigee to shift to a near-circular 597 by 608-kilometer orbit.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1584573190571163648

Little is known about the project with China closely guarding the launch operations and only announcing the mission once the spaceplane was in orbit.

The country has yet to provide any updates on the mission and it is unknown how long the spacecraft will remain in orbit. The first flight, which took place in September 2020, was a similarly clandestine mission lasting two days. It was noted in terse state media reports following launch and landing.

Clues as to its dimensions did however emerge after the second launch when images of the assembled debris from the spaceplane’s Long March 2F rocket and modified payload fairing at a middle school in Henan province.

The project is being run by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), the main space launch vehicle maker under China’s main space contractor, CASC. CALT is also developing a reusable suborbital spaceplane, which completed its second flight in late August.

CALT’s spaceplane project secured funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) in September.

The “suborbital long-range air-to-space transportation system” project is being led by Song Zhengyu, chief designer of the Long March 8 carrier rocket, who noted that long-distance, high-speed transportation has become a new hot spot in space research, with SpaceX investing billions in the development of the Starship.

The system will be capable of lifting off and landing from a runway and making intercontinental flights inside an hour. It will also be capable of repeated use and feature high reliability, and give birth to new industries such as global high-speed transportation and popular space tourism, according to a CALT press statement.

Illustrations contained in the statement show a shuttle orbiter-like spacecraft on top of a larger winged vehicle, along with a diagram demonstrating the two crafts’ respective flights.

The carrier spaceplane would reach around 100 kilometers before releasing the spacecraft which would continue to climb, and skip off the atmosphere and glide back to Earth.

The project is seen to support the construction of China’s scientific and technological power, aerospace power and transportation power, and has practical social, technological, economic and other application values, according to CALT.

The institute also noted that the project is the first major space project to be approved by the NSFC. CALT also aims to deeply integrate the spheres of space and transportation.

The highly secret nature of the program so far is likely related to its military funding and applications. The new national funding source is unlikely to change this, given the sensitivity of hypersonic technology.

Other reusable spacecraft or spaceplane projects are under consideration in China. The China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp. (CASIC) is working on its own spaceplane, named Tengyun, while commercial firm Space Transportation last year raised more than $46.3 million for its hypersonic spaceplane plans.

A number of Chinese rocket companies have also created presentations including small spaceplanes launching atop concepts for liquid rockets.

China’s spaceplane raises orbit and national funding

A spaceplane launched by China in August has performed an orbit-raising maneuver and recently secured new funding to promote new modes of transportation.

spacenews.com

 

[beijingwalker]

China's Mysterious Spaceplane Raises Orbit Nearly 3 Months After Launch​

The experimental mission to test China's reusable spaceplane continues to unfold in unexpected ways.​

By Passant Rabie
Today 2:00PM

It’s been nearly eight weeks since we last heard from China’s spaceplane, which launched from the the Gobi Desert in early August. But things are happening, as the spaceplane recently fired its thrusters to ascend to a higher and more circular orbit, but for reasons that aren’t entirely clear.

The reusable spacecraft took off onboard a Long March 2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on August 4. As China’s second attempt to launch a spaceplane, the experimental vehicle flew at a higher altitude and for a longer period of time than its predecessor.

Shortly after it launched, the spaceplane stayed at an orbit of about 215 miles by 369 miles (346 kilometers by 593 kilometers) inclined at 50 degrees above the equator. But experts monitoring its orbit noted a changed occurring on Sunday, October 23, with the spacecraft raising its orbit to a near-circular 371 by 378miles (597 by 608 kilometers), SpaceNews reported.

China has shared little information regarding its spaceplane, with the Chinese government stating that it would remain in orbit for a vague “period of time,” state media reported at the time of its launch.

The spaceplane is a hybrid airplane-spacecraft vehicle that launches to space onboard a traditional vertical rocket. While operating like a regular aircraft in Earth’s atmosphere, the reusable vehicle acts like a spacecraft in space, allowing the reusable craft to complete missions in space and then return to the surface where it performs a horizontal airplane-like landing.

China’s first experimental spaceplane launched in September 2020 and stayed in orbit for about two days before landing back on Earth. It also flew at about 206 miles by 216 miles with a similar inclination (331 km by 347 km), according to Ars Technica. The spaceplane also released a single payload before landing.

China’s second go at launching and testing a spaceplane appears to be more ambitious, with the second vehicle staying aloft for nearly three months and raising its operational orbit.

The spaceplane project falls under the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, a state-owned vehicle manufacturer that makes both civilian and military space launch vehicles. Similarly in the United States, the Space Force has its own spaceplane, the Boeing X-37. The Space Force’s spaceplane launched in May 2020 for its sixth test flight and has been flying nonstop ever since.

Both experimental vehicles are still aloft in the skies, with no word on when they may land just yet.

China's Mysterious Spaceplane Raises Orbit Nearly 3 Months After Launch

The experimental mission to test China's reusable spaceplane continues to unfold in unexpected ways.

gizmodo.com

https://gizmodo.com/china-spaceplane-raises-orbit-1849699601#replies