China has launched its own spaceplane for the fourth time — the mission is classified 0 19

The payload is a reusable space shuttle, often referred to in China as "Shenlong". Officially, this is its fourth mission.

After completing its task, it lands on the runway like a regular airplane, which makes the operation of the spacecraft cheaper.

Specific details of the new flight — duration, orbit, experiments conducted — are not disclosed, which is typical for most Chinese space missions. However, the characteristics of the vehicle also remain a mystery. All that is known about it has been obtained through the analysis of low-quality images taken from a great distance, as well as through radar and optical observation.

It is generally known that the Shenlong shuttle is similar in size or slightly larger than the operational American unmanned spaceplane X-37B: the length of the vehicle reaches 10 m, with a wingspan of up to 6 m and a height of up to 3 m. Its weight is no more than 12 tons. In orbit, the spacecraft can remain for months or even years.

The first information about the launch of the Shenlong testing program became known in September 2020: the first vehicle spent only two days in space. The second launch took place in August 2022 — the vehicle returned to Earth in May 2023 after 276 days in orbit. The third flight occurred from December 2023 to September 2024 and lasted 268 days.

All missions were carried out from the Jiuquan launch site using the "Chang Zheng-2F" rocket. Successful returns and landings in designated areas clearly demonstrate progress in the development of reusable technology.