#文章首发挑战赛#
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The orbital-level small unmanned space shuttle is also affectionately called the "space small plane" by netizens, representing the mainland's "reusable test spacecraft" and spacecraft such as the American X-37B.
On December 14, 2023, the Continental Repeatable Test spacecraft was launched. The United States also planned to send the X-37B orbiter into geosynchronous orbit for a "breakthrough test".
The X-37B orbiter is known for its mystery, and it has been evaluated that it has the ability to destroy the positioning and navigation of various countries, and the high-orbit test is even more meaningful.
So what exactly is the X-37B orbiter, and does it really have super strike capabilities?
What is the mysterious X-37B orbiter?
According to the original plan, the American X-37B orbiter was supposed to be launched on December 10, 2023, a little earlier than China's launch of the repeatable test vehicle, so it may not be a coincidence that some speculate.
But coincidence or not seems to have little impact, because after a toss-up, due to the unfavorable weather conditions in Florida, the United States finally decided to postpone the launch time, and it is still unknown when the launch will be restarted.
This is the seventh launch of the X-37B, but the United States has been hiding the X-37B tightly and rarely releasing relevant information to the public, which makes the X-37B even more mysterious.
Judging from the reports of many media, the X-37B is an aircraft developed by Boeing in the United States, which can be recycled and reused, and can also be used on the ground or in space.
Thus, it was basically established that the X-37B was a prototype of the future American aerospace aircraft.
Since 1999, Boeing has been researching the X-37B, and the U.S. military has been involved in management and testing.
Presumably, as of now, the United States has at least two X-37Bs, which have been tested several times.
In the 2020 test, the X-37B successfully entered the predetermined orbit and stayed in space for 908 days before returning to Earth, indicating that it has the conditions for long-term mission in space.
The X-37B is only a quarter the size of the Space Shuttle, with a length of 8.9 meters, a width of 4.6 meters, and a weight of 4,990 kilograms, which is equivalent to a small bus.
Its wingspan is equipped with a stabilisation device to ensure stable flight, and at the same time, the flight angle can be automatically adjusted according to the actual situation.
On the whole, the shape of the X-37B is rather peculiar, but the integrated design of the fuselage is still relatively smooth.
On the power plant, it is equipped with three different models of engines, and the maximum flight speed can reach Mach 25, which means that conventional military radars have no way to track it.
At the same time, the X-37B also has a strong maneuverability and can automatically change orbits or derail, and the X-37B uses an artificial intelligence system, which makes it more flexible.
Originally, the spacecraft would rub against the atmosphere during its return to Earth, causing the outside temperature to reach thousands of degrees, but the X-37B uses a new composite heat-resistant material that can reduce the temperature by 1,800 degrees Celsius when re-entering the atmosphere.
As a result, the X-37B can come and go freely between Earth and space, making it a reusable spacecraft.
However, what is more interesting is that the X-37B has a payload bay, which indicates that it has the ability to carry load tests.
Therefore, it can be speculated that the X-37B has a high probability of having some attack capabilities, or it can dismantle satellites and other means to destroy global navigation.
How strong are the projected combat capabilities of the X-37B?
In terms of deployment, the X-37B is naturally set to be deployed into space, so it must first carry rockets and other launchers into orbit.
At present, many spacecraft have only one way to enter orbit, either along the orbit or in reverse, but the X-37B has both, which shows that its orbit entry mode is relatively flexible and conducive to rapid deployment.
At the same time, it can carry a variety of different payloads, such as carrying reconnaissance payloads, the X-37B can be transformed into a reconnaissance aircraft, providing accurate information for ground operations.
Now many countries are vying to be the first to research and launch satellites, because satellites can provide ground pictures, positioning and navigation and other information, and X-37B also has the function of satellites, which can undertake intelligence and combat missions at the same time.
But if we look at the attack capabilities, is the X-37B capable of carrying various weapons such as nuclear bombs?
Earlier, Novikov, general director of a Russian arms company, noted that the X-37B can be equipped with 6 nuclear bombs.
Some analysts believe that the X-37B does have the ability to carry a nuclear warhead, but this means that the X-37B will also be equipped with a device to dismantle the nuclear bomb, which will increase its own weight and volume, so the X-37B can only carry 2 nuclear bombs.
However, it is worth noting that the volume and weight of the spacecraft have been accurately calculated, taking into account factors such as limited thrust.
This determines that the spacecraft carries a nuclear bomb, and there is no way to keep the nuclear bomb in a solid silo like on the ground, but it is easy to expose the nuclear bomb and even cause some safety problems.
In addition, according to the United States, this time the X-37B will conduct a "breakthrough" test, does this mean that the X-37B will test strike satellites and other spacecraft?
In this regard, some experts pointed out that the X-37B carries a larger "Heavy Falcon" rocket than previous rockets, and the increased thrust of the rocket means that the X-37B can be sent to an unprecedented orbital height.
On the one hand, the United States may want to prove that the X-37B can achieve full orbital operation in medium, low and high orbits, and on the other hand, it may want to verify the ability to monitor the earth in higher orbits and get close to other countries' satellites and other spacecraft.
Once it has the ability to get close to other countries' spacecraft, it can capture, disassemble, strike, and so on on other countries' spacecraft within a certain range.
Therefore, theoretically speaking, the X-37B does have the conditions to incapacitate some target satellites, and it will be directly related to whether a country's navigation system can operate smoothly.
However, these are only some idealistic predictions, and there are still some obstacles for the X-37B to disable the satellites of other countries.
For example, in space, whether it is the X-37B or other satellites, they are in a state of constant motion, and there is no way to aim at the target in advance like on the ground, so it needs to be constantly adjusted.
In this process, the constant movement of the spacecraft will lead to an increase in error, which will increase the difficulty of precision strikes.
In addition to this, the X-37B is expensive, and the cost of a single launch is several times higher than that of a satellite launch.
For example, if Musk's "Falcon Heavy" is used to launch, this rocket itself can launch multiple satellites, so why choose to launch the X-37B at a higher cost and then let the X-37B deploy the satellite in space?
To put it simply, the X-37B seems to be very versatile, and can do everything such as reconnaissance, strikes, and satellite deployment, but it is limited by various reasons such as the limited size of the receptor, and it is difficult for it to perform multiple tasks at the same time, and what it does seems to be a little less interesting.
How does the Chinese spacecraft compare to the X-37B?
In fact, as humanity continues to deepen the exploration of space, the study of recyclable spacecraft has become a major trend.
As mentioned at the beginning, China has just successfully launched a reusable spacecraft, how is this spacecraft different from the X-37B?
In terms of testing the time in orbit, there is still some room for improvement in our aircraft.
The first continuous in-orbit test of our spacecraft was on August 5, 2022, with a total of 276 days of in-orbit operation, and the first test was able to achieve such a long time of in-orbit operation, which shows that our spacecraft is very good in terms of performance and reliability.
But compared with the X-37B in orbit for six or seven hundred days, our spacecraft obviously still has some room for improvement.
In addition, in terms of technical routes, we have adopted a scheme of multiple technical routes going hand in hand, while the X-37B is more of a single technical route.
However, this is not the biggest difference between the two spacecraft, the biggest difference is still in the "use" or "purpose".
Although the United States has always been secretive about the X-37B, anyone with a discerning eye can see that it is preparing for space operations that may come in the future, and it is likely to be developed into an "aerospace aircraft" for space military activities.
The spacecraft we are researching are mainly used for "peaceful purposes" and can provide better conditions for peaceful exploration and use of space.
For example, in the future, as the construction of China's space station is more perfect, more and more astronauts will travel back and forth between the earth and space.
And reusable spacecraft can reduce the cost of astronauts' "commuting to work" and improve the safety of round-trips.
Therefore, perhaps the biggest difference between China's reusable spacecraft and the American X-37B is in the purpose of use.
The United States should understand that space is a mystery that we yearn for, and all we do is to want to peek into space for more beauty, not to make space a gladiatorial arena.
Bibliography:
[1] China Youth Network: The successful landing of the Chinese "aerospace aircraft" is very different from the American X-37B
[2] Xinhuanet: Will a "breakthrough" test be conducted? A new round of missions for the mysterious X-37B in the United States has led to speculation