IT Home reported on December 14 that reusable spacecraft technology is an innovation highland and a hot spot of competition in the aerospace field, and has become the focus of the aerospace development strategy of the world's aerospace powers.
Today, China successfully launched a reusable test spacecraft using the Long March-2F carrier rocket at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The spacecraft will return to the scheduled landing site in China after a period of orbit operation, during which it will carry out reusable technology verification and space science experiments as planned to provide technical support for the peaceful use of space.
IT Home inquired about historical reports and found that on September 4, 2020 and August 5, 2022, China also successfully launched a type 1 reusable test spacecraft at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, and returned to the scheduled landing site after 2 days and 276 days of flight in orbit respectively.
Because the launch and landing officials have not released the relevant images to the outside world, it is very mysterious, so the outside world believes that this spacecraft is one of the achievements of "too advanced to display".
According to the official introduction, the complete success of this test marks an important breakthrough in China's reusable spacecraft technology research, and can provide a more convenient and cheap way to travel for the peaceful use of space in the future.
Huang Zhicheng, an aerospace expert, said, "This is the longest flight time, the most complex mission and the most technically difficult test of China's reusable spacecraft in orbit." It is reported that during the period when the experimental spacecraft was in orbit, a number of technical verification and scientific experiments were carried out, including orbit transformation, attitude control, thermal protection, communication and navigation, and payload operation. ”