China successfully launches a reusable experimental spacecraft

China launched a Long March 2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China's Gobi Desert on Saturday, sending a reusable experimental spacecraft into orbit, the launch center said.

The spaceport said in a news release that the test vehicle is tasked with verifying reusable spacecraft technologies, which will be used as technical support for the peaceful use of space.

It did not elaborate on the details of the mission or the spacecraft — such as launch time, mission duration, and specific plans — or publish pictures of the rocket's liftoff or scenes inside the ground control hall.

The mission is the fourth related to reusable experimental spacecraft that China has made public.

The country's first orbital test of a trial vehicle took place in September 2020, and the craft was in orbit for just under two days.

The second test started in August 2022 and the spaceplane stayed in the Earth's orbit for 276 days before landing in May 2023.

The third was launched in December 2023 and lasted 268 days before returning in September 2024.

All of the spacecraft used in the previous tests — whether they were all of the same type is not known — were launched by a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan center.

Currently, only China and the United States have reusable spacecraft, which were first initiated by the US in the 1970s. The pioneer of this concept — the US space shuttle — operated for three decades before its retirement in 2011 due to technical and budgeting difficulties.