Chinese state media hailed the experimental spacecraft as having "completed a landmark mission to test the country's reusable space technologies".
The unmanned spacecraft returned to the Jiuquan launch site in northwestern China on May 8 as scheduled, according to Chinese state media.
Jiuquan launch site. Photo: Reuters
Details and images of the spacecraft are being kept secret by Beijing. It is also unclear what technologies China tested, how high the spacecraft reached, and what orbit it will be in. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch in early August 2022.
The test marked a "significant" breakthrough in China's research into reusable spacecraft technology, providing a more convenient and cheaper way to carry out future space missions, according to Chinese state media.
In 2021, Beijing is expected to launch a similar spacecraft to the edge of space and return to Earth the same day.
There is speculation that China is developing a spacecraft similar to the US Air Force's X-37B, an autonomous spacecraft that can stay in orbit for years.
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