Beijing. December 19. INTERFAX - China has conducted two more successful tests of the Tianxing launch vehicle, which in the future will become a prototype for reusable transport spacecraft, the company developing the Space Transportation spacecraft said on Friday.
"In the period from December 17 to December 19, 2021, the company successfully conducted two missions - the 7th and 8th flights of the Tianxing series of missiles," the company said in a statement.
Earlier this month, the Tianxing-1 rocket was launched, the company does not disclose which models were involved in the new tests.
In 2019, Xiamen University announced two joint verification flights with Space Transportation of a 9-meter prototype spacecraft equipped with wings, developed on the basis of the Tianxing, capable of reaching a speed of about 4,300 km/h and reaching a maximum altitude of about 26.2 km above the Earth.
During the tests, various technologies were tested, including a low-frequency communication system developed by the university for communication with a rocket at supersonic speeds. Following the results of the tests, the company sent data on completed flights to various universities and research centers in China for data analysis, thanks to which engineers will be able to improve technologies in the field of high-speed aviation.
In 2020, the company announced the testing of an engine for a new improved model of this series - the Tianxing-2, which will be more mobile for maneuvering at high speeds and will be able to carry a more diversified payload, while creating a rocket will cost less than the previous model.
The Tianxing series of launch vehicles is being developed with the aim of creating hypersonic aircraft for mobile transportation of passengers and payloads in the future, as well as testing innovative aerospace technologies.
According to the company, Space Transportation intends to conduct verification launches from 2019 to 2022, during which key technologies for global hypersonic flights in the future will be tested.
The first space shuttle prototype mission based on Tianxing-1 and Tianxing-2 for suborbital space tourism is planned for 2023, and the first test flight of a full-fledged spacecraft is planned in 2025.
