Landing of Chinese spacecraft with reusable technologies 'successful'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
8 May 2023 10:01

China has in recent years made considerable advances in its space industry, so much that it was revealed in December 2021 that China is building its space capabilities at "double the rate" of that of the US.

The combination of the Shenzhou XIV manned spaceship and a Long March 2F carrier rocket is seen being transferred to the launch site at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwestern Gansu province, on May 29, 2022. (Chinese Defense Ministry)

A reusable experimental spacecraft returned to Earth after completing its mission, which spanned a total of 279 days, Chinese State media Xinhua reported on Monday.

The spacecraft landed at its scheduled time at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

No images of the craft have been released yet nor did the report provide additional information about what technologies were tested and where it orbited since its launch in August 2022.

"The success of the experiment marks an important breakthrough in China's research on reusable spacecraft technologies, which will provide more convenient and affordable round-trip methods for the peaceful use of space in the future," the report states.

China has in recent years made considerable advances in its space industry, so much so that it was revealed in December 2021 that China is building its space capabilities at "double the rate" of the US.

On July 3, 2022, NASA chief Bill Nelson said he was concerned about China's lunar missions because he believes Beijing intends to claim the moon for itself, while in September 2022, China accused Washington of seeking to militarize outer space, and recently announced last month, on April 7 that it will launch 12,992 satellites into orbit to rival Elon Musk's Starlink.