News from Washington and Beijing in space are shrouded in a thick veil of secrecy
A new space race is unfolding between Washington and Beijing. China launches top-secret military plane into orbit just a day after 'delayed mystery launch' US — and the head of the Space Force says the timing is «not coincidental.» The US military said it was «extremely interested» in China's secret spacecraft. Photos of this Chinese competitor to the classified X-37B spacecraft have not yet been leaked online.
China successfully launched its top-secret unmanned spacecraft device on Thursday evening, which, according to the head of the US Space Force, is “no coincidence.”
According to the Daily Mail, the Americans planned to launch their own “spyware” plan last Wednesday, but the mission was suspended due to technical problems.
"It's probably not a coincidence that they are trying to match us on timing and sequence of actions,", – claims about the Chinese launch by American General Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations of the Military Space Forces.
An advertisement in the Chinese press described the spaceplane's purpose as providing «technical support for the peaceful uses of space,» but the Middle Kingdom kept details secret, as did American officials about its craft.
"These are two of the most observed objects on Earth. orbit while they are in orbit,” – Saltzman told reporters Wednesday after problems with a SpaceX rocket derailed the X-37B launch scheduled for Monday.
Speaking at the Space Force Association's Spacepower conference in Orlando, General Salzman emphasized the sophistication of these unmanned and reusable orbital reconnaissance vehicles, which can provide greater operational security than spy satellites.
"The ability to put something into orbit , perform some actions, return it home and look at the results – it’s powerful,” – said Saltzman.
"It is not surprising that the Chinese are extremely interested in our space plane, – he said. – And we are extremely interested in their successes.”
Nevertheless – despite years of promotional photographs of the American X-37B spacecraft developed by Boeing, – Not a single image of its Chinese rival has been leaked to the public, the Daily Mail notes.
The closest the media got to the craft, dubbed the Chinese Experimental Shuttle Spacecraft, or CSSHQ, was likely in footage of an exhibition at High School No. 1 Henan Jiyuan in China in August 2022.
Aerospace industry observers have posted video footage of an outdoor exhibit showing the crashed Long March 2F rocket responsible for launching CSSHQ into orbit, searching for clues about its expendable secret spycraft payload.
Images of Long March 2F debris recovered after second launch of CSSHQ, fueled rumors that the rocket's payload of nearly eight metric tons indicates that CSSHQ is similar in size to the X-37B, SpaceNews reported.
The video appeared first on Chinese social media site Sina Weibo, then on TikTok, YouTube and X. CSSHQ's launch this Thursday comes hot on the heels of its last secret mission seven months ago: a lengthy 276-day operation that began on August 4, 2022. By comparison, CSSHQ's first launch in September 2020 lasted only two days.
According to a report by Chinese news agency Xinhua, this third launch aims to «validate reuse technologies» and "experiments in space science" as part of «technical support for the peaceful uses of space.»
The launch of CSSHQ, enclosed in a Long March 2F rocket, took place at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, located in northwest China, notes the Daily Mail.
The original purpose of the Long March 2F was to transport crews of Chinese astronauts heading to Earth orbit, but the rocket was modified to carry a Chinese unmanned robotic spaceplane as a payload.
The X-37B was to be launched by SpaceX as part of a secret mission on Monday, but was forced to stop just minutes before takeoff.
Elon Musk's SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carrying the covert spacecraft was scheduled to take off at 8:14 pm ET from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. But the message about the "ground problem" led to the mission being suspended at the eleventh hour. "Today's Falcon Heavy launch has been canceled due to a problem with the ground portion, – SpaceX said in a statement. – The vehicle and payload remain operational. The team is preparing for the next launch of the USSF-52 mission, which will not take place until tomorrow evening.
Monday's mission would have been the seventh for the secretive X-37B since its debut in 2010, and most The ship's payload is classified.
As the Daily Mail writes, the X-37B could theoretically deliver weapons into space, perhaps to protect US satellites from anti-satellite weapons.
While China and Russia has accused the United States of using the craft as a bomber, while other experts have suggested that the Space Force craft is being used for spy missions: monitoring Chinese space operations or testing American intelligence systems.