--- title: "China Just Launched a Mysterious “Reusable Test Spacecraft”" description: "Is It a Plane? China quietly launched a mysterious reusable spacecraft into orbit this morning on top a massive Long March 2F rocket at the country’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. China’s state news website Xinhua called the launch a success. “The test spacecraft will return to its intended domestic landing site after a period of […]" date: "2020-09-04" modified: "2020-09-04" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-launched-mysterious-reusable-test-spacecraft" categories: - "Space" tags: - "china" - "long march 2f" - "the digest" - "x-37b" --- # China Just Launched a Mysterious “Reusable Test Spacecraft” ![China quietly launched a mysterious reusable spacecraft into orbit this morning on top a massive Long March 2F rocket. Could it be the country's spaceplane?]() *\Image: CN\* ## Mysterious Spacecraft China quietly launched a mysterious reusable spacecraft into orbit this morning, atop a massive Long March 2F rocket at the country's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. China's state news website *Xinhua* [called the launch a success](). "The test spacecraft will return to its intended domestic landing site after a period of orbit, during which reusable technical validation will be carried out as planned," reads the report, as translated by Google Translate. ## Top Secret It's still unclear what the spacecraft, likely a project by the country's main space contractor China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC), is designed to do — or what it even looks like, for that matter. Some experts suggest it could be a spaceplane, reminiscent of the US's top secret [X-37B]() project, which recently [carried out its sixth mission]() in orbit. "China has been looking into a few different concepts for spaceplanes for quite a few years," Andrew Jones, a freelance reporter specializing in China’s space program, [told *The Verge*](). ## Wider Payloads In 2017, China announced plans to test a reusable spaceplane in 2020, as [*SpaceNews* reports](). Adding to the rumors was apparent modification work on the launch tower, reportedly allowing wider payloads to be launched using the Long March 2F rocket. The 2017 reports also claimed that such a reusable spacecraft would be designed to carry both crew and payloads, according to *SpaceNews*. **READ MORE:** [China just launched a ‘reusable test spacecraft’ — possibly a spaceplane]() \[*The Verge*\] **More on X-37B:** [The Space Force Is About to Launch a Mysterious Spacecraft]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()