December 14, 2023 became a high-profile day as China and the United States will be doing it at the same timeAstronauticsTest flight activities. On this day, the X37B that the United States had planned to launch was unmannedAerospace aircraftThe seventh mission, and the Chinese side also launched a reusable test on the same dayAstronauticsUtensil. Such a "coincidental incident" has undoubtedly aroused widespread attention from the outside world, and people can't help but have some imagination about the competition and gunpowder between the two countries.
Although the United States announced the schedule for the X37B launch mission early, the mission was repeatedly postponed due to weather and technical reasons, and finally set for December 14. In contrast, the Chinese side has remained secretive, and has not released any information or images of the mission. But network sources say that China has been in the near futureJiuquan Satellite Launch CenterConducted onceLong March 2f launch of the launch vehicle.
Long March 2f is China's exclusive use of the Shenzhou seriesManned spacecraft, Tiangong series of space stations and other mission launch vehicles. If it is a mission such as launching a conventional satellite, the rocket is usually not used. So what exactly is the payload of this launch?One possibility is that two reusable trials have been performed beforeAstronauticsdevice launch mission "Shenlong". According to a Dutch familySpaceThe satellite ** released by the company shows thatLop NurThere were traces of large objects on the tarmac of a mysterious airport, which happened to be the return landing place of the "Shenlong" after the first two test flights. Therefore, the Netherlands ** made the Chinese version of X37B is about to carry out the third launch**. Sure enough, the next day, China announced the successful launch of a reusable testAstronauticswill return to the country after a period of orbit operation.
However, the American X37B was not able to take off smoothly at this moment. Due to technical problems, it had to abandon the launch mission and was transported back to the warehouse for overhaul. In this way, the historical moment of simultaneous test flights of both sides, which was originally expected to be high, turned into a solo performance of the "Divine Dragon", which makes people feel disappointed.
As soon as the news of China's "Shenlong" test flight was announced, it attracted the attention of the first class. According to the outside ***, in the entrySpaceAfter orbiting, the "Shenlong" has already managed to separate 4-6 target objects. And at the time of the last test flight, it also carried out several tests of releasing and capturing objects. This time the number of target objects released was larger, which caused speculation from outside agencies.
One possibility is to conduct a more difficult space docking experiment, and the other possibility is to simulate an attack on the otherAstronauticsUtensil. Of course, this argument is purely a peaceful use of ChinaSpaceMalicious distortion of principles. Needless to say, the third entrySpaceThere will definitely be many new breakthroughs and unique skills in the "Shenlong", and I believe that we will soon be able to witness its performance.
For the Netherlands, which once foresaw the chance encounter between China and the United States, today is the fulfillment of their prediction. However, the failure of the X37B in the United States has made this arena a little imperfect. LikeYe GuchengAs with the decisive battle of Ximen Fuxue, the tickets were sold out and the advertisements were ready, but because Ximen Fuxue unfortunately fell and injured himself before the debut, the game could not go as planned. This time, "Shenlong" became the protagonist of the solo show, and although it showed wonderful technology, it was not destined to become a classic.
It is worth mentioning that this test flight of the "Shenlong" from the launch siteJiuquan Satellite Launch Centerto the place of returnLop NurThe distance from the airport is quite far. Therefore, the Dutch mistakenly speculatedLop NurThe airfield was the launch site of the "Shenlong" and the return place of the "Shenlong".Lop NurI made this test flight before. This miscalculation is somewhat regrettable.
To sum up, December 14, 2023 became China and the United StatesAstronauticsA historic day for test flights. Despite the technical problems encountered with the launch of the American X37B, the test flight of the Chinese "Shenlong" went smoothly. For this mysterious aerospace vehicle, known as the Chinese version of X37B, what kind of mission and function the "Shenlong" has, has caused widespread speculation. In any case, this test flight is undoubtedly ChineseAstronauticsAn important step towards new heights. I hope to witness more China in the futureAstronauticsThe leap and breakthrough on December 14, 2023, would have been an ordinary day, but because of the China and the United StatesAstronauticsTest flight activities, but they have attracted much attention. The United States plans to launch X37B unmannedAerospace aircraft, while the Chinese hair ** type 1 reusable testAstronauticsUtensil. Although this has been interpreted by the outside world as a rivalry between the two countries, the coincidence in it has led to speculation. The Chinese side has previously remained secretive, but the satellite released by the Netherlands shows that it is locatedLop NurThere are traces of large objects on the tarmac of a mysterious airport, and there is no one with the previous "Shenlong".Aerospace aircraftThe return landing location after the test flight is the same. As a result, the Dutch *** Chinese version of X37B is about to carry out its third launch. Sure enough, China then announced the successful launch of a reusable testAstronauticsUtensil. At the same time, the American X37B abandoned the launch mission due to technical problems. This makes the historical moment that would have been expected to be a competition between the two countries imperfect.
Regarding the test flight of China's "Shenlong", the Netherlands ** put forward some speculation. It was revealed, enteredSpaceorbit after thatAstronauticsThe device has successfully separated 4 to 6 target objects. At the time of the last test flight, similar tests were carried out. Some institutions speculate that the number of target objects released this time is larger, and it may be possible to conduct more difficult space docking experiments, or simulate attacks on othersAstronauticsUtensil. However, this argument is a peaceful use of ChinaSpaceMalicious distortion of principles. Nevertheless, it is certain that there will definitely be a number of new breakthroughs in this test flight of the "Shenlong".