HELSINKI – China’s experimental reusable spaceplane has used a smaller spacecraft to test close-range operations and possibly even image the object.
China launched its spaceplane for the third time via a Long March 2F rocket on December 14, 2023. The spacecraft launched an object into orbit, first cataloged by the US Space Force space domain awareness teams on May 24, after raising the job and months of stable operation.
Analysis of orbital data and observations from Leiden, Netherlands, by Marco Langbroek, lecturer in Optical Space Situational Awareness at Delft University of Technology, suggests that the spaceplane used the ‘Object G’ spacecraft to conduct rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO). to test. June 7-8.
Such operations could be useful for the retrieval, repair, and maintenance of friendly satellites, or potentially nefarious counterspace operations against an adversary’s spacecraft.
After ejecting the object, the spaceplane performed an evasive maneuver and later made additional maneuvers between June 5 and 7, Langbroek said in his blog post. These brought it close to the object again on June 8.
“Some combinations of the orbital data for epoch 24160 suggest that a potentially very close approach at kilometer level or even less would have occurred on June 8 around 2-3 pm UTC,” Langbroek wrote.
“However, the rapid maneuvering evidenced by the apparent orbital changes in successive elsets from June 8 to 9 makes it difficult to validate the true distances.” Elsets is an abbreviation for ‘element sets’, which are used in the fields of satellite tracking and orbital mechanics.
While it is unclear whether the spaceplane briefly recovered and re-released Object G, their close approach indicates deliberate proximity operations.
Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist and space activity tracker, told us Space News he came to similar conclusions as Langbroek regarding potential RPOs.
This would not be the first such activity for the Chinese space plane. Data from the private company Leolabs shows that the spaceplane performed at least two and possibly three capture/dock operations with an orbiting object during its second flight in 2022-2023.
China has also conducted RPOs in geostationary orbit. Shijian-21 towed a dead satellite to a high orbit in the graveyard in December 2021. The GEO Belt is also the scene for counterspace activities involving the United States, Russia and China. The US military wants to strengthen its ability to detect and track potential threats in GEO.
Secret space plane project
China has maintained strict secrecy surrounding the mission. The country’s space authorities have not released images or descriptions of the spacecraft. The only official Chinese report on the activity is a brief launch report hours after the event.
“During this period, reusable technology verification and space science experiments will be conducted as planned to provide technical support for the peaceful uses of space,” the report said.
The spacecraft is seen as China’s attempt to develop similar capabilities to the X-37B. It is currently on its third mission. Reusable spacecraft represent a significant advance in space technology, offering opportunities for lower costs and increased mission frequency.
The first flight in 2020 lasted two days, while the second mission in 2022 was extended to 276 days. Both missions involve the deployment of an object in orbit. The interval between the first and second missions was almost two years, while the third mission followed a seven-month break.
The reusable spacecraft is intended to operate in conjunction with a reusable suborbital first stage. This suborbital craft, which uses vertical takeoff and horizontal landing, was first tested in 2021. A second mission flew in August 2022.
The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), which developed the spacecraft, announced plans for a fully reusable, two-stage-to-orbit (TSTO) space transport system before the first launch. In 2022, CASC’s spaceplane project received national funding from the Natural Science Foundation of China.
Meanwhile, the US Space Force’s X-37B spaceplane embarked on its seventh mission on December 28 of the previous year. It was first launched on a Falcon Heavy and would have been sent to a highly elliptical, high-inclination orbit at a higher altitude than previous missions. The X-37B, a mysterious and autonomous reusable vehicle, has been flying since 2010.
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