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  • China launches its "first reusable spacecraft"


    Emma King
    • General space news

    Space News reports on the launch and retrieval of Shijian-19, a reusable satellite.

    Shijan-19 was launched on a Long March 2D rocket on Sept. 27, from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, in a first for China, and was successfully retrieved 2 weeks later. 

    The mission was developed by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), and carried plant seeds to assess the effect of exposure to the radiation environment in LEO, as well as other microgravity science and space life science experiments, from five countries including Thailand and Pakistan.

    Shijian-19 has a range of configurations available depending on mission requirements and duration. The recoverable portion of the satellite can carry between 500 to 600 kilograms of payload. 

    CAST are also developing a reusable crew spacecraft for low Earth orbit (LEO) and lunar and deep space missions.

     

    Featured image: An aerial view over the Shijian-19 recoverable satellite landing area, Dongfeng, Inner Mongolia.
    Credit: CNSA


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