China's mysterious craft has landed for the second time, after orbiting for nine months. But while it was still in orbit, some interesting and peculiar things happened.
Unidentified Object Ejected
Per Live Science, based on a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C., the mysterious craft ejected an unidentified object into orbit around October 2022. Interestingly, the object disappeared by January and suddenly made a reappearance over a satellite tracking radar in March.
Specialists think that this demonstrates the plane's possible capacity for satellite removal to some extent, like with a robotic arm.
Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell from the Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics mentioned to Nature that the Chinese have been working with robotic arms a lot across various contexts, such as in the Chinese space station. If this is the case, the mysterious plane's goal could be to fix broken satellites or remove debris from orbit.
However, this does not mean that military capabilities should be ruled out. Unless further details are released, all that can be done is to speculate.
ALSO READ: China Returns From Orbital Mission; Experts Speculate About Possible Imitation of U.S. Spaceplane
China's Mysterious Craft Lands for Second Time
This mysterious craft's second landing makes China one of the few to successfully deploy and retrieve a spacecraft that is reusable. Space.com reports that the craft orbited for 276 days during its second flight.
The Chinese state media agency Xinhua reported earlier that the experiment's complete success is a huge breakthrough for reusable spacecraft technology research in the country. The Chinese authorities, however, have released minimal information regarding the mysterious craft. Details pertaining to its performance, capacity, and design still remain vague.
However, experts think that this mysterious craft is largely similar to the U.S. space plane Boeing X-37B, which has been orbiting for years. Research scientist Kevin Pollpeter from the Center for Naval Analyses mentioned to Nature that the X-37B's revelation raised concerns among Chinese authorities regarding the military potential of the craft. It is possible that this led to the spurring of China's space program, which is closely linked to its military forces, in order to come up with a version of its own.
The craft appeared to be small and uncrewed, much like the X-37B. Live Science notes that it may have flown for two days in September 2020 before landing. Its recent journey started in August 2022 as it launched over a Long March 2F rocket from northern China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, according to the CSIS report.
The reusable and uncrewed X-37B, on the other hand, landed on Earth in November 2022 to mark the end of its sixth and most recent mission. It spent over 900 days orbiting, per Reuters.
RELATED ARTICLE: Spacecraft With One-fifth the Speed of Light Could Reach Another Solar System in 20 Years, Experts Say
Check out more news and information on Space in Science Times.
