July 25, 2024, Singapore
China has a secret, reusable spacecraft that launches with a rocket and lands at a military airfield. Experts say it is likely testing technology but could also manipulate or retrieve satellites. The spacecraft, now on its third mission, was seen in June releasing an object, moving away, and then returning to it.
“It has military uses, like inspecting or disabling enemy objects,” said Marco Langbroek from Delft University of Technology. “But it can also refuel satellites.” Langbroek and other experts say this reusable spacecraft could be valuable as militaries develop complex satellite networks.
China has not disclosed what the spacecraft tests or released any photos. The U.S. has a similar spaceplane, the X-37B, which launched in 2010. Russia has launched satellites that the U.S. suspects may be weapons. Victoria Samson from the Secure World Foundation thinks both spaceplanes are technology demonstrators with limited military use.
China’s defense ministry did not comment. State media, Xinhua, calls it a “reusable test spacecraft.” The current mission began in December 2023. The previous mission, in August 2022, lasted 276 days, and the first mission, in September 2020, lasted two days. “China is making rapid advancements in space,” said General Stephen Whiting of U.S. Space Command, who noted they did not know what the spaceplane released.
The spaceplane launches from Jiuquan in China and lands at Lop Nur, a military-controlled airfield. Jonathan McDowell from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics said it changes altitude from 350 km to 600 km. It is thought to be similar in size to the X-37B, which is about 30 feet long and can stay in orbit for 908 days.
The U.S. Space Shuttle, used from 1981 to 2011, was much larger and could carry a crew of seven, but stayed in orbit for no more than 17 days. The Soviet Union’s Buran spaceplane flew once in 1988. The Space Shuttle had 10 classified missions, which led the Soviets to see it as a military spaceplane.
“We should not view China’s spaceplane the same way the Soviets viewed the Shuttle,” said Jeffrey Lewis from the Center for Nonproliferation Studies. The experiments in releasing and retrieving objects are similar to the U.S. X-37B. Its missions are classified but involve testing technologies that support long-term space goals.
Testing new sensors can extend missions if they provide valuable intelligence. Inspecting or disabling satellites is another military use. Some countries, including the U.S., China, India, and Russia, have ground-based anti-satellite missiles.
Orbital weapons are generally prohibited, and the 1967 Outer Space Treaty bans weapons of mass destruction in space. In 2021, China tested a hypersonic glide vehicle, a concept from the Cold War that allows a warhead to strike from orbit. Jeffrey Lewis said spaceplanes offer no significant advantage over ballistic or cruise missiles. Two senior Indian military officers, speaking anonymously, said China’s spaceplane is alarming and could have dual purposes. India is closely watching the situation.