Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Possible design of China’s space plane.
Image source: Homem do Espaco/Twitter

Back in mid-December from the Jiuquan Space Center, China launched its reusable spacecraft test vehicle on a flight 3 cruise.

UK satellite tracker, Bob Christy via his Orbital Focus posting, explains that the Chinese space plane released a small satellite May 24, “or maybe earlier if it ran close alongside its parent for a while. Both vehicles made thruster firings, probably during the evening of May 24 UTC.”

Interesting observations

The previous flight of this type of vehicle also released a companion object for multiple rendezvous and capture operations, Christy explains, “so this pair may offer some interesting observations.”

Credit: China Central Television (CCTV)/Xinhua News Agency/China National Space Administration (CNSA)/screengrab Inside Outer Space

Launched December 14, 2023, the Chinese spacecraft has now been circling Earth for roughly 165 days.

For a look at the latest update on China’s space mission and meaning, go to the newly-posted story by China space watcher, Andrew Jones/SpaceNews– “China’s secretive spaceplane releases object into orbit” – at:

https://spacenews.com/chinas-secretive-spaceplane-releases-object-into-orbit/

Artwork depicts X-37B space plane. Image credit: Boeing/Inside Outer Space screengrab

U.S. Space Force flyer

Meanwhile, also underway is the hush-hush mission of the U.S. Space Force Orbital Test Vehicle 7 (OTV-7).

This Boeing-built, X-37B reusable space plane was launched to a highly elliptical orbit aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket on its classified mission on December 28, 2023.

OTV-6 was the first mission to introduce a service module that expanded the capabilities of the spacecraft.
Image credit: U.S. Space Force/Staff Sgt. Adam Shanks

For more details on this U.S. Air Force mission also now on-going, go to:

https://www.leonarddavid.com/u-s-military-space-plane-next-mission-what-will-it-do/