China Launched A Secret Spacecraft That Returned To Earth After 2 Days

China has recently launched a secret reusable spacecraft quietly, left it in orbit for 2 days, then landed it on Earth safely. Despite the quiet, secret launch, it’s obvious that China wants to show the world some things.

The official news agency of China, Xinhua, reported that the spacecraft was launched on Friday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Inner Mongolia. According to the South China Morning Post, the spacecraft was carried in a Long March-2F rocket and safely returned to Earth on Sunday.

A Chinese military source confirmed that visitors and staff present at the launch were warned against filming the event or talk about it on the internet. The source said:

“There are many firsts in this launch. The spacecraft is new, the launch method is also different. That’s why we need to make sure there is extra security.”

In addition, during the two-day flight, the spacecraft would reportedly test reusable technologies, aiming at providing technological support for the peaceful use of space.

While there is very little detail revealed about this mission, the source said that the Post should look into the US X-37B, which is a reference to the top-secret space plane of the US Department of Defense, developed by Boeing. It’s an experimental test program to demonstrate reusable spacecraft tech for the future in space for the country as well as conducting experiments that can be brought back and examined on Earth.

The X-37B does not require an onboard crew, launched in a rocket, and stays in low-Earth orbit. It then returns to the atmosphere and lands like a regular plane.

Is it safe to say that China is working on an X-37B of its own? It could be, but we cannot be certain unless there’s an official source confirming the new. Until then, we hope that the peaceful use of space will be maintained.

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