China's secret “reusable experimental spacecraft” launched into space in September and returned to Earth in low Earth orbit the same month, released an object of unknown origin into space, SpaceNews reported.
The American edition, citing data from a tracker using data from the North American Aerospace Defense Command, notes that the released product NORAD ID 46395 (2020-063G COSPAR ID) is in orbit 332 kilometers by 348 kilometers with an inclination angle of 50.2 degrees. Object of unknown origin, most likely, was dropped on September 5 at a time prior to two full revolutions of the “experimental reusable spacecraft” before the launch of the latter to Earth.
Earlier, SpaceNews recalled that in 2017, China announced plans to test a spacecraft in 2020, which is an analogue of the X-37B mini-shuttle of the US Air Force (Air Force). Dmitry Rogozin, the general director of Roscosmos, linked the latter with weapons of mass destruction. “We, accordingly, will avoid any public statements, but at the same time we understand very well that this can be, and it is likely that weapons of mass destruction, if, God forbid, they are placed in space, can plan from above,” – said the manager in October 2018.
In May, the American edition of The Drive, citing engineer Paul Jaffe of the Naval Research Laboratory (Navy), noted that the technology being tested during the current X-37B mission is designed to provide a virtually unlimited life for unmanned aerial vehicles.
In May 2016, experts interviewed by Space.com stated that the X-37B mini-shuttle is designed to practice the destruction of space satellites, and one of its goals is to test the economic efficiency of such actions in comparison with rocket elimination means.
