Shenlong (spacecraft) explained

Shenlong is a Chinese reusable robotic spaceplane currently in development.[1] Only a few pictures have appeared since it was revealed in late 2007.

Test platform

The latest academic models, shown in 2000, reveal a delta-winged spaceplane with a single vertical stabilizer, equipped with three high-expansion engines. Presuming a seating arrangement of two crew members sitting side-by-side in the cockpit, dimensions could be very roughly estimated as a wingspan of 8 m, a length of 12 m and a total mass of 12 tonnes. This is within the payload capability of the Chinese CZ-2F or type A launch vehicles.

Spaceplane

Images of an aerodynamic scaled model, ready to be launched from under the fuselage of a Xian H-6 bomber,[2] [3] were first published on 11 December 2007.[4] Code named Program 863-706, the Chinese name of this spacecraft was revealed as "Shenlong Spaceplane" (神龙空天飞机). These images, possibly taken in late 2005, show the vehicle's black reentry heat shielding, indicating a reusable design, and its engine assembly.[5] The first sub-orbital flight of the Shenlong reportedly took place on 8 January 2011.[6]

Earlier, images of the High-enthalpy Shock Waves Laboratory wind tunnel of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) State Key Laboratory of High-Temperature Gas Dynamics (LHD) were published in the Chinese media. Tests with speeds up to Mach 20 were reached in around 2001.[7]

, the CAS academician Zhunang Fenggan (莊逢甘) said that a first test flight of the spaceplane would be conducted during the "Eleventh Five-Year Plan", from 2006 to 2010.[8] The state-owned Xinhua News Agency reported in 2017 that China planned to launch a reusable spacecraft in 2020 designed to "fly into the sky like an aircraft".[9]

Launches

Around 4 September 2020, China conducted a covert launch of a Long March-2F/T3 rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center that is believed to have carried a version of the Shenlong. For launching payloads like the Shenlong, the Long March 2F/G needs four cusps added to its fairing to accommodate the payload (as seen post-launch), which led to speculation that the spacecraft resembles the US' Boeing X37-B.[10] [11] [12] Chinese media reported that "the test spacecraft will be in orbit for a period of time before returning to the domestic scheduled landing site. During this period, it will carry out reusable technology verification as planned to provide technical support for the peaceful use of space."[13]

On 4 August 2022 a second launch[14] landed Earth on 8 May 2023 after 276 days in orbit. While aloft it deployed at least one object that may have been a small satellite or monitoring craft. On 14 December 2023 the spacecraft launched for the third time.[15] It has released at least seven objects into orbit.[16]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Moss. Trefor. China Launches Experimental Spaceplane. The Wall Street Journal . 4 September 2020. 7 September 2020.
  2. Web site: Mystery Space Plane May be Part of U.S.-China Competition. HuffPost. 11 November 2012.
  3. Web site: Don't Buy China's Hypersonic Head-Fake. Its Spaceplanes Are Racing Ahead.. 2021-12-27. Defense One. 13 December 2021 . en.
  4. Book: Shats, Daniel. Chinese spaceplane programs. 2021. Peter Wood, BluePath Labs, China Aerospace Studies Institute. 9798763459043. Montgomery, AL. 1288576470.
  5. Web site: 中国"神龙"飞行器首度曝光 身世扑朔迷离. mil.news.sohu.com. SOHU.com. 11 January 2008. 13 April 2008.
  6. Web site: Shenlong "Divine Dragon" takes flight, is China developing its first spaceplane?. chinasignpost.com. China Signpost. 4 May 2012. 19 June 2012.
  7. Web site: 氢氧爆轰驱动激波高焓风洞. 中国科学院高温气体动力学重点实验室. lhd.imech.cas.cn. 23 July 2013. 10 September 2020.
  8. Web site: 國產空天飛機 3年內試飛. 香港文匯報. 2007-12-11. 2008-04-16.
  9. Web site: China tests experimental reusable spacecraft shrouded in mystery. Spaceflight Now . 8 September 2020. 10 September 2020.
  10. CNSAWatcher . 1558709527930818560 . Fairing of CZ2F rocket which launched CSSHQ on Aug 5 being openly exhibited in Henan Jiyuan No.1 middle school. If the bumps are spare spaces for wings, CSSHQ's wingspan could be larger than fairing's diameter 4.2m. . https://web.archive.org/web/20220814195129/https://twitter.com/CNSAWatcher/status/1558709527930818560 . live . 2022-08-14 .
  11. 1558794449379291138 . Kedrskie . ミニシャトルを載せてたんでないかと噂されている、8/5に打ち上げられた長征2号F/T。そのフェアリングに大きな張り出しが設けられていて、シャトルの翼端を納める為のものでは？というツイート。張り出しの裏側が見えるコマを切り出して明度を上げると、確かに内側は空洞になってる。 . ja . https://web.archive.org/web/20220814195547/https://twitter.com/Kedrskie/status/1558794449379291138 . 2022-08-14 . live .
  12. CNSpaceflight . 1558812459544129536 . The leaked footage of #CZ2F fairing suggests the Chinese reusable spaceplane may be X-37B alike. Here are some dimensions overlay (each floor brick measures ~600x600mm). The distance & angle between wings and tail fins "exactly" match that of X-37B. The fairing measures 4.2m.... https://web.archive.org/web/20220814200103/https://twitter.com/CNSpaceflight/status/1558812459544129536 . 2022-08-14 . live .
  13. Web site: 氢China launches experimental spaceplane. NASASpaceflight.com. 2020-09-03. 2020-09-04.
  14. AJ_FI. 1556887904856821762. 2022-08-09. China's secretive spaceplane is still in orbit following its launch on Thursday. The first mission, in Sep. 2020, lasted ~two days, so this is already a longer mission this time out. Only word from China far is a terse statement of launch. A few things to note so far.
  15. Web site: Brett Tingley . 2023-12-14 . China launches secret space plane on 3rd-ever mission . 2023-12-15 . Space.com . en.
  16. Web site: Paul . Andrew . 2024-08-07 . China’s super-secret space plane spotted above Europe . 2024-08-08 . Popular Science . en-US.

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