China claims 'important breakthrough' in secretive space mission

Ever since China claimed success in the secretive launch of an experimental spacecraft, experts have been pondering over what it could be and what it did in space.

The spacecraft - mounted on a Long March 2F rocket - was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northern China on 4 September and safely returned to Earth after two days in orbit.

"The successful flight marked the country's important breakthrough in reusable spacecraft research and is expected to offer convenient and low-cost round-trip transport for the peaceful use of space," state-run Xinhua News Agency said on 6 September in a brief report.

But unlike recent Chinese high-profile space missions, very few details have emerged about the vehicle and no visuals have been released.

Mysterious vehicle
Chinese authorities have been tight-lipped about the nature of the short-duration excursion and what technologies were tested.

The exact launch and landing times were not revealed, nor was the landing site although it is thought to be the Taklamakan Desert, which is in northwest China.

"There are many firsts in this launch. The spacecraft is new, the launch method is also different. That's why we need to make sure there is extra security," a military source told South China Morning Post (SCMP).

An official memo circulating on social media also warned staff and visitors to the launch site not to film the lift-off or discuss it online, according to SCMP.

The launch of the vehicle may have come as a surprise - there was no official announcement prior to the launch - but China has been working on such technology for the past decade. Three years ago, China said it would launch a space vessel in 2020 that "will fly into the sky like an aircraft" and be reusable.

A reusable spacecraft - as the name implies can undertake multiple trips to space - thereby potentially lowering the overall cost of launch activity. A traditional one-off spacecraft - costing tens of millions of dollars - is practically rendered useless after a single mission.

The experimental vessel reached an altitude of about 350km, which is in line with China's previous crewed flights. The spacecraft also released an unknown object into the orbit before returning to Earth.

Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at Harvard Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics, says the aim of the mission was likely to test out the vehicle's systems such as power, temperature, stability and to prove it could re-enter and land correctly.

Once the testing is complete, such a vehicle could be used to launch and repair satellites, survey the Earth, as well as take astronauts and goods to and from orbit, possibly to a planned future Chinese space station.

(Source: BBC)