China 's Space Plane

China’s Space Plane


U.S. space vehicle prototype Boeing X-37

Several news sources are reporting the successful test of the Chinese Space Plane.

In April of 2009, the U.S. successfully tested the US Spacecraft. Also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle 1, the X-37B is comparable to–but much smaller than–NASA’s space shuttles. The craft was originally a NASA project before the US Air Force took it over. Today the U.S. has no capability to deter China’s potential use of military space planes — as far as can be determined the U.S. does not have weapons packages for the Space Shuttle. Nor does anyone else. The X-36B is as close as it gets.

“If these technologies on the vehicle prove to be as good as we estimate, it will make our access to space more responsive, perhaps cheaper, and push us in the vector toward being able to react to warfighter needs more quickly,” Gary Payton, the Air Force deputy undersecretary for space programs.

“This marks a new era in space exploration, and we look forward to the launch of the second vehicle in 2011,” Paul Rusnock, Boeing’s vice president of experimental systems and program director for the X-37B.

This is cutting edge technology with which the US is experimenting with. Now according to press reports China is also testing a similar spacecraft and is making progress in building an “upper-atmosphere” jet fighter, an official said last week, adding to a flurry of speculation about China’s growing air power.

China’s first efforts at human spaceflight started in 1968 with a projected launch date of 1973. In the September 2005 issue of Contol Technology and Tactical Missile, a journal sponsored by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, three experts from the Center for Precision Guidance Technology of the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics noted, “The greatest advantage of a space-based ground attack weapon system is its high speed and short re-entry time. It is extremely difficult for the enemy to intercept such a weapon.” The first unmanned flight of a spacecraft was launched on November 19, 1999.

Missions launched:

Launch of Shenzhou 5 in 2003
Shenzhou 1 – November 19, 1999 – Unmanned test flight
Shenzhou 2 – January 9, 2001 – Carried animals
Shenzhou 3 – March 25, 2002 – Carried a test dummy
Shenzhou 4 – December 29, 2002 – Carried a test dummy and several science experiments
Shenzhou 5 – October 15, 2003 – 14 Earth orbits carrying Yang Liwei
Shenzhou 6 – October 12, 2005 – five day mission with Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng
Shenzhou 7 – September 25, 2008 – Three man crew with Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming, and Jing Haipeng; spacewalk performed by two crew members
Recently, the “China Aviation News” introduces space technology expert Wang Chun’s deeds. The paper said, China has successfully flight aerospace fighter prototype.

A report published by China Aviation Journal, China has successfully launched its own space plane prototype, the news came out shortly after the US Air Force announced the successful test of their advanced X37B space plane, which is widely regarded as a next-generation super weapon.

The Ming Pao and the Zhongguo Pinglun (China Review), a news website in Hong Kong, posted an article headlined “China succeeds in spacecraft test flight in tandem with U.S. X-37B” until early Tuesday.

China’s “Hermes” Space Plane: A December 16 photo shows a model of the Shenlong and a new model of the Chinese “Hermes” space plane. China has made significant progress toward the development of an unmanned trans-atmospheric vehicle and a Space Plane. Beijing’s technological advancement has obvious commercial and scientific uses, however the military significance of the plane cannot be denied.

Hong Kong’s Ming Pao daily on Tuesday said Shaanxi TV last Saturday quoted acting provincial governor Zhao Zhengyong as saying China has “succeeded in the test flight of a prototype aircraft that can fly through the atmospheric layer.” Zhao was visiting a state-run aircraft corporation at Xi’an high-tech industrial development zone.

Chinese officials say that their rocket powered space plane program may be a reaction to U.S. ambitions to dominate space and develop space planes, hypersonic transports and bombers.

The involvement of fighter aircraft design institutes, plus previous statements of Chinese spacecraft design officials and related military-engineering literature, suggest that China wants its space planes to perform military, even attack, missions.

The Chinese channel showed images of a prototype space fighter being assembled whose outward appearance was almost identical to a U.S. pilotless upper-atmosphere military spaceship, the X-37B, the daily said.
The U.S.’ pilotless upper-atmosphere military spaceship, the X-37B /Courtesy of the U.S. Air Force.

There are news stories about “People’s Liberation Army Air craft carrier space program in 2000″ which claim that China is also building a Spacecraft Carrier.