China has recently achieved an important space feat again, successfully launching a reusable test spacecraft, which is undoubtedly a milestone achievement for China.
The reusable test spacecraft launched this time is widely known as the "aerospace aircraft", and there was previously news about China's preparation to carry out the Long March 5 Yao-6 rocket, and some people linked it with the "aerospace aircraft", but in fact there is no direct connection between the two. The launch site of the Long March 5 Yao-6 rocket is located in Wenchang, Hainan, while the launch site of the "aerospace aircraft" is in Jiuquan, so the two are not related.
What is the purpose of the "aerospace aircraft"?Next, we will interpret it in detail, and it is worth mentioning that this launch has also attracted the attention of the Ministry of Defense, which fully demonstrates its importance.
According to relevant reports, China successfully launched a reusable test spacecraft using the Long March-2F carrier rocket at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on December 14. The Long March-2F launch vehicle used this time is one of China's top rockets, with a total length of 583 meters, with a take-off weight of up to 4798 tons, in the early 21st century, belonged to the highest and heaviest rockets developed in China.
The core stage of the rocket has a diameter of 335 meters, booster diameter 225 meters, fairing diameter 38 meters, the maximum cross-sectional diameter of the rocket reaches 102 meters. It uses nitrous tetroxide and metamethylhydrazine propellants, and the first stage is filled with a propellant of about 1866 tons, the second stage filled propellant about 848 tons, booster refueling propellant about 415 tons, the total mass of the rocket reached 4819 tons. At a perigee altitude of 200 km, an apogee altitude of 350 km, and an orbital inclination of 42At 4 °, its carrying capacity can reach 7More than 8 tons.
The successful launch of the "aerospace aircraft" this time demonstrated its extremely high reliability and aroused widespread attention from foreign media. Foreign media said that this is the third time that China has launched an experimental reusable spacecraft, and the mission is strictly confidential. This high level of secrecy is not common in previous assignments, and disclosure is usually not made until the assignment is completed. This mission is likely to be even longer than the previous two.
The first two missions of the Aerospace Aircraft were carried out in 2020 and 2022, respectively, and it took up to 276 days to return after the last mission. According to foreign media, the payload of this spacecraft exceeds 8 tons, which indicates that its size and capabilities may be similar to the X-37B spaceplane of the US Air Force.
But is the Chinese "Aerospace Plane" similar to the American X-37B?Let's take it a step further.
True, the American X-37B is very powerful, there is no doubt about it. According to the disclosure, the U.S. X-37B has the functions of closely monitoring enemy satellite launches, detecting potential threats in outer space, and having powerful anti-satellite capabilities.
In contrast, China's "aerospace aircraft" seem to be somewhat different. The specific performance details have not yet been disclosed, but according to the information released by China, the "aerospace aircraft" is designed to provide a more convenient and economical way to travel to and from space for peaceful use. It is a reusable spacecraft capable of rapidly traversing the atmosphere and traveling freely between the Earth's surface and space, transporting crew and payloads, and staying in orbit and performing a variety of missions, including manned spacecraft, cargo spacecraft, propulsion vehicles, planetary landers, and space shuttles.
Therefore, China's "aerospace aircraft" pay more attention to creating reusable "ordinary" spacecraft, which is different from the military use of the United States. The development and application of this technology will drive the development of multiple disciplines and technical fields such as hypersonic aerodynamics, high-precision guidance and control, advanced aerospace power, high-temperature resistant lightweight materials and structure manufacturing, and reuse evaluation standards.
Although China is currently keeping the appearance of the "aerospace aircraft" secret, the outside world generally believes that the performance and application of this spacecraft is an unusual spacecraft. We look forward to more information being released to the public when our technology becomes more mature.
In general, the tests of the Chinese "Aerospace Aircraft" are relatively complete, and although they are not as high-profile as the American X-37B, their performance is undoubtedly expected.
In a series of space missions carried out by China, not only did the launch mission of the "aerospace aircraft" remain highly confidential, but even the launch mission of the Long March 5 Yao-6 rocket carried out by China did not make any disclosure. During this period, China's space mission implementation has changed greatly, but we still have expectations for the progress of China's space technology.
As for the "aerospace aircraft", the outside world has not yet learned its appearance, and it is still unknown when China will be able to release its original appearance. However, this high degree of secrecy also shows that China maintains a high degree of concentration and rigor in the field of space.
On the whole, the Chinese "Aerospace Aircraft" tests were quite successful, although not as ostentatious as the American X-37B. However, it is widely believed that this is an unusual spacecraft, and it is expected that China will be able to unveil its mystery as soon as possible.