BEIJING, Feb 7 (Reuters) – China successfully launched a reusable experimental spacecraft into orbit aboard a Long March 2F carrier rocket at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Saturday, state news agency Xinhua reported.
Xinhua News Agency said that the mission will conduct technical verification of the reusable spacecraft and provide technical support for the peaceful use of space, but did not disclose how long the spacecraft will stay in orbit.
No other details were provided in the report about what technologies were tested or how high the aircraft flew.
This is the country’s fourth launch of a reusable spacecraft since 2020.
The development of reusable spacecraft is considered critical to eventually increasing the frequency of spaceflight and reducing the cost per mission.
The country successfully launched its first reusable experimental spacecraft in September 2020, which flew in orbit for two days.
According to Xinhua News Agency, a spacecraft launched in August 2022 returned to Earth in May 2023 after 276 days in orbit, while a spacecraft launched from Jiuquan in September 2024 successfully returned to its designated landing site after 268 days in orbit.
(Reporting by Ellen Zhang, Laurie Chen and Ryan Woo; Editing by Toby Chopra)
