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9h ago

China Launches Reusable Spaceplane on Fourth Orbital Test

State media labels the unannounced‑flight mission a technology verification effort for peaceful space use.

The launch pad for the Long March-2F rocket stands, ahead of the Shenzhou-21 spaceflight mission to China's Tiangong space station, at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, near Jiuquan, Gansu province, China October 30, 2025. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo
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China has launched the fourth mission of its Shenlong reusable spacecraft, continuing a tightly controlled program.
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Overview

  • Liftoff occurred on Feb. 7 local time from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center aboard a Long March‑2F T variant, according to Xinhua.
  • Authorities released no images or orbital details, with U.S. tracking expected to catalog the spacecraft’s orbit soon.
  • This marks the fourth flight since 2020 after increasingly long missions that previously released small objects and conducted apparent rendezvous maneuvers.
  • Analysts compare the craft to the U.S. X‑37B based on Long March‑2F payload capacity and earlier fairing imagery hints.
  • Developer CASC is advancing a broader reusable roadmap that includes national funding for a two‑stage‑to‑orbit concept and prior suborbital test vehicles.