Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

China’s future spaceplane may be able to take off and land at airports

China’s future spaceplane may be able to take off and land at airports

Successful test flight in July suggests it has an advantage over the rocket-launched US equivalent, Chinese military magazine says.

China’s space flight technology may have advanced beyond that of the United States as it can now launch spaceplanes without rocket propulsion, according to a Chinese military magazine.

It means the spaceplanes will not need launch sites and will be able to take off and land at airports – a cost-saving development that has added to concerns over the weaponisation of space.

China is developing a spaceplane known as Tengyun, which has a horizontal take-off and horizontal landing (HTHL) system. That gives it an advantage over the US equivalent, the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV), which is rocket-launched, according to military magazine Naval and Merchant Ships.

The Chinese spaceplane was said to be inspired by the American X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle.


A video clip of the magazine’s editors discussing US hegemony in space and the Tengyun spaceplane project was posted on its Chinese social media accounts on December 12.

“Chinese spaceplane technology was inspired by the US X-37B, but the American OTV still needs to be launched by rocket, while China has now overcome this limitation,” magazine editor-in-chief Su Ming said in the video.

He was referring to a test flight of the Tengyun carried out by its developer, state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), in July. It was launched on the suborbital flight by a mother ship instead of a rocket.

“The successful HTHL test suggests future Chinese aerospace aircraft will be able to take off from airports anywhere in the country,” Su said. “That means future spacecraft flights could go from the current 30 times a year to more than 1,000 [a year] – more like regular planes.”

The CASC announced the Tengyun civilian aerospace project in 2016, aiming to develop a reusable space transport system to save costs, based on the American OTV. It unveiled the HTHL system in July this year, calling it “a solid foundation” to develop reusable transport technology between Earth and space.

The US, China and Russia, the world’s big three space powers, are in a race to develop space arms and technology – including anti-satellite weapons and hypersonic missiles. The race has accelerated since the US Space Force was set up during the Donald Trump era, with a focus that includes catching up to China and Russia in building advanced hypersonic weapons.




In space flight technology, a series of secretive, long-duration missions by the US X-37B – a project that began in 1999 – has prompted speculation in China and Russia that the US wants to use the spaceplane for military purposes ranging from reconnaissance to deploying nuclear warheads in orbit.

In the video, Su said the X-37B could potentially be used as a weapon to attack other countries’ satellites. He suggested the powerful robotic arm attached to the core module of China’s new Tiangong space station could be used to counter this.

But Zhou Chenming, a researcher from the Yuan Wang military science and technology institute in Beijing, said the robotic arm would not be used as a weapon because doing so would have grave consequences.

He said China had long-term commercial goals for reusable spacecraft, including cutting costs for commercial satellite operations. “These projects could be used to develop telecommunications for remote rural areas, and to explore new markets in underdeveloped countries,” Zhou said.

Russia is also developing a reusable spaceplane – the country’s first such project since the ill-fated 1980s Soviet space shuttle Buran, which had one test flight before the programme was scrapped. India, which is also developing anti-satellite weapons, is working on a space flight programme with Russia to send a three-member crew to space for seven days by 2023.




As the competition heats up, there have been growing calls for new rules on the responsible use of space.

Zhao Yun, a space law professor at the University of Hong Kong, noted that the international community was working on new legal documents. But he said a proposed Prevention of an Arms Race in Space Treaty, co-sponsored by China and Russia, had not been accepted by other countries.

“Some other efforts are moving ahead, such as a code of conduct, trust and confidence-building mechanisms, but these are only [non-binding] soft law documents,” he said. “Internationally, the principle of peaceful use of outer space has been considered as part of customary international law. However, there are different understandings of the term ‘peaceful’.”

Ankit Panda, a senior fellow at the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the US and other powers leading space technology should work together to come up with legal norms for space security.

That includes rules around the anti-satellite missile testing carried out by China, India, Russia and the US on their own satellites, which has added to space debris.

“To ensure that space remains easily accessible to future generations, it is incumbent on the current generation of leaders in the US and elsewhere to lead the way on setting new norms and rules to bar further tests of this sort, which could irreversibly and irrecoverably pollute critical orbits around Earth,” he said.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
×