China wants its own space plane X-37B
China wants its own space plane X-37B
A Chinese company said it is working on a reusable space plane similar to the secret X-37B of the US Air Force. UU Unlike the X-37B, which launches into orbit over a Falcon rocket, the Chinese vehicle would take off in mid-flight from under the wing of a large "mother ship" aircraft.
(This first appeared in March.)
It is not clear how advanced the Chinese design is, when it could fly for the first time and if the Chinese government has committed to acquire the vehicle. It is also not clear exactly why Beijing would want a space plane in the X-37B style.
Some observers have speculated that the X-37B could be a weapon in disguise that is capable of intercepting and manipulating enemy satellites. If that were true, a Chinese space plane could also pose a military threat. But, in fact, the X-37B is almost certainly a test vehicle whose main mission is to organize small scientific experiments. If it were to become a reality, Beijing's own version of the X-37B would probably undertake similar missions.
Chinese state television reported in the space plane concept on March 7. An animation accompanying the report shows a sleek two-engine mother ship carrying the space plane at high altitude. The only rocket engine of the space plane lifts the vehicle to low orbit, where it opens the doors of the dorsal bay and deploys a small satellite. The space plane returns to Earth and lands like an airplane.
A graph in the news report indicated that the space plane would be ready for orbit in 2030.
The new vehicle, which is apparently being developed by the state-run China Aerospace and Industry Corporation, is actually the second important concept of spacecraft that appears in China in recent years. In 2008, a robotic vehicle similar in shape and size to the 29-foot-long X-37B It was photographed under the wing of a Chinese bomber.
In January 2011, the Chinese vehicle, supposedly called "Divine Dragon", flew on its first atmospheric test flight. It is not clear if the development of Divine Dragon continued after 2011.
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Eight years after the X-37B began its first operational mission in 2010, the merits of a reusable space plane are still subject to intense debate. The X-37B is essentially a small, reusable satellite with a shorter mission strength compared to single-use satellites. Where many satellites can operate for up to a decade in orbit, the longest mission of the X-37B at the beginning of 2018 was the fourth, starting in May 2015. It lasted 717 days.
The Air Force of the United States insists that the X-37B is strictly a technology host for small experiments. The 5-ton X-37B is "a reusable and more efficient way to test the technology in space and return it for examination," said Richard McKinney, then assistant deputy secretary of the Air Force for space programs, in 2011. The X- 37B the cost is classified, but almost certainly adds billions of dollars for development and operations until 2018.
The limitations of the American vehicle support the assertions of the Air Force regarding its purpose. For military missions, the X-37B is really at a disadvantage compared to the disposable spacecraft. "The addition of this return capability in the space plane adds tons of extra mass compared to spacecraft that are not designed to return to Earth," explained Laura Grego and David Wright of the non-profit organization Union of Concerned Scientists, in a blog post. "That large mass penalty makes it more difficult and costly to put a space plane and its payload in orbit and reduces the number of maneuvers it can do with a given amount of fuel."
China's own space plane, if it became operational, would suffer the same disadvantages compared to conventional satellites. In addition, by choosing to launch the spacecraft from a mother aircraft, rather than a rocket, China Aerospace and Industry Corporation assumes the burden of developing a very large aircraft.
While a heavy bomber could launch a small space plane in some missions, it is worth noting that the main US aircraft owner, the Stratolaunch company of billionaire Paul G. Allen, is developing a new aircraft with six engines. For that purpose. The Stratolaunch aircraft, which as of March 2018 was still in evidence on the ground, "will make space access more convenient, reliable and routine," the company said. promised.
Stratolaunch has been working on its first mothership since at least 2011, and initially projected that the plane would cost $ 300 million. If Beijing hopes to deploy a space plane and a new mothership by 2030, it must hurry up ... and be prepared to spend a lot of money.
This one appeared for the first time in WarIsBoring. here.
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