Mysterious Chinese Spacecraft Is Back On Earth
After orbiting the Earth for 268 days, a spacecraft launched from China has been reported to have landed safely back on the planet. The spacecraft touched down in the middle of the Gobi Desert at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, as reported by Chinese media. Adding to the mystery of the mission are the objects detected by observers in the United States that were allegedly ejected from the ship mid-orbit.
China’s spacecraft, better known as the Shenlong, was delivered into the Earth’s orbit on board a Long March-2F rocket last December. China’s state news agency, Xinhua, reported that this recent launch was to validate that the technology was reusable. Additionally, The Shenlong was deployed into orbit to conduct various space experiments.
There have been no official statements that give The Shenlong’s size or mass, and how much it is capable of carrying on board is also a mystery.
The China-based news outlet acknowledged that the United States was the only nation at this point that possessed reusable space planes. But China is hopeful that the Shenlong missions will lead to the Asian nation being able to have their own reusable spacecraft and make traveling to and from space more affordable, convenient, and safe.
China has kept much of the rest of its spacecraft’s mission classified. There have been no official statements that give The Shenlong’s size or mass, and how much it is capable of carrying on board is also a mystery. But a lucky break from an Austrian astrophotographer pulled away some of the shroud that cloaks the spacecraft from the rest of the world.
In August 2022, the spacecraft completed its second mission, spending a whopping 276 days orbiting the planet.
The fuzzy images captured in August showed what many believe are solar panels attached to the tail end of the object. Measurement estimates calculated later show that China’s spacecraft is around 30 feet long.
Another mystery is what China programmed The Shenlong spacecraft to eject into space. Not too long after its December 14 launch date, observers reported that six separate objects were deployed from The Shenlong, each of which were “emitting various signals.” Months later in May 2024, another unidentifiable object was released, believed to signal the end of The Shenlong’s mission.
The Shenlong began its successful line of space missions from China’s soil in 2021 when it was launched into Earth’s orbit. It hovered there for more than two days before it was successfully brought back to Earth. In August 2022, the spacecraft completed its second mission, spending a whopping 276 days orbiting the planet.
In the United States, aerospace giants Boeing are busy developing an American counterpart to China’s spacecraft. Space Force has been working with the company on the X-37, which began its seventh mission when it was rocketed into orbit last December. Unlike The Shenlong, X-37 is still in space.
China’s spacecraft, better known as The Shenlong, was delivered into the Earth’s orbit on board a Long March-2F rocket last December.
Though The Shenlong’s most recent mission should be recognized as an achievement for both China and the spacecraft, the Boeing X-37 holds the record for the longest deployment in space. The craft’s sixth mission resulted in a successful 908 days in orbit before it was carefully landed back onto the Earth’s soil.
China plans to next launch its spacecraft in October.
Sources: South China Morning Post
