China to launch manned space plane in 2020

Chinese researchers are developing a reusable space plane to transport people and cargo into space.

China will launch a space plane carrying people and cargo in 2020. Photo: Han Pengxin

China plans to launch its first reusable space plane in 2020, Space reported on November 3. The plane can carry people or cargo into orbit and return to Earth, according to Xinhua.

The aircraft will be easier to maintain and help increase the frequency of launches at lower costs, creating new opportunities for more people to travel to space, said Chen Hongbo, a researcher at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).

"China is developing reusable space vehicles that can take off and land horizontally from Earth," said Liu Shiquan, deputy director of the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, according to People's Daily.

"We have completed some important ground testing of the engine and other essential components, achieving many remarkable achievements.", Liu added. China also plans to build a space station operating in Earth orbit in the early 2020s and send humans to the moon in the mid-2030s.

The US Air Force has two X-37B unmanned space planes, which have completed a total of five orbital missions. The first flight took place in 2010, the fifth flight began in September of this year and is still ongoing.

Several other space planes are also in development, most notably Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo and Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser.

According to VNE