The payload is an experimental reusable spacecraft. It is rumored to be a prototype of a reusable spaceplane (similar to Boeing X-37B vehicle). The spacecraft stayed in orbit for two days and returned to Earth on September 6. Though the landing site was not disclosed, the spacecraft is presumed to have landed at an airbase near Lop Nor nuclear test site.
The Long March 2F is a Chinese orbital carrier rocket, part of the Long March 2 rocket family. Designed to launch the crewed Shenzhou spacecraft, the Long March 2F is a human-rated two-stage version of the Long March 2E rocket, which in turn was based on the Long March 2C launch vehicle. It is launched from complex SLS at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The Long March 2F/G version includes longer boosters for increased lift capability, among other improvements.
First Chinese reusable spacecraft
Chinese reusable spacecraft DetailsThe China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) is the main contractor for the Chinese space program. It is state-owned and has a number of subordinate entities which design, develop and manufacture a range of spacecraft, launch vehicles, strategic and tactical missile systems, and ground equipment. It was officially established in July 1999 as part of a Chinese government reform drive, having previously been one part of the former China Aerospace Corporation. Various incarnations of the program date back to 1956.
INFO WIKINote: Assignment of payloads to this launch is uncertain. The Russian Obzor-R satellite is a planned X-band radar earth observation satellite desi…
AST SpaceMobile’s Block 2 BlueBird satellites are designed to deliver up to 10 times the bandwidth capacity of the BlueBird Block 1 satellites, requi…
First test launch of CASC/SAST’s Long March 12A rocket, with a dummy payload. The rocket’s 1st stage attempted to land on a landing pad about 300 km …
Maiden orbital launch attempt for the South Korean start-up Innospace and its HANBIT-Nano small launch vehicle. Onboard this flight are five small sa…
QZSS (Quasi Zenith Satellite System) is a Japanese satellite navigation system operating from inclined, elliptical geosynchronous orbits to achieve o…
Synthetic aperture radar Earth observation satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company iQPS.
NS-37 is the 16th crewed flight for the New Shepard program and the 37th in the New Shepard program's history.
Chinese classified satellite claimed to be for communication technology test purposes. Actual mission not known.
STP-S30 is a complex mission that will deliver research experiments and technology demonstrations to orbit for the DoD and contribute to future space…
A batch of 27 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.