An experimental Chinese spacecraft landed in China on Monday after orbiting the Earth for 276 days, Chinese state media reported. China wants to use the spaceship to test reusable rocket technology.
According to Chinese media, the unmanned spacecraft returned to the Jiuquan launch site as planned. No details were released about what the spacecraft was, what technologies it tested, how high it flew or where it had been since launch in August 2022.
The test marks a “significant” breakthrough in Chinese research into reusable spaceships that could make future space missions cheaper, according to Chinese state media.
In 2021, China launched a possibly similar spacecraft that landed back on Earth the same day. No details were revealed about this spaceship either.
There is speculation on Chinese social media that Beijing is developing a spacecraft like the US Air Force’s X-37B, a spacecraft that can remain in orbit for years.
An unmanned and reusable X-37B returned last November after more than 900 days in orbit.
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