Here's what we know (and don't know) about China's mysterious space plane, which just landed after nine months in orbit on a secret mission.
After nine months in orbit, China's mysterious space plane has landed for the second time, making the nation one of the few entities to successfully launch and recover a reusable spacecraft.
However, the Chinese government has released very little additional information about the craft; the details of its design, capabilities and performance remain hazy. Like the X-37B, the Chinese craft appears to be uncrewed and relatively small. It probably first flew in September 2020, making a short two-day stint into orbit before returning to the ground. Its most recent mission began in August 2022, when it took off on a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northern China, according to a report from the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies . The exact purpose of the mission remains unclear.
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