China Unveils Haolong: A Reusable Cargo Shuttle for Tiangong Space Station

China has shared details of its new reusable Haolong shuttle that is designed to take cargo to and from Tiangong Space Station. 

China’s Haolong Shuttle Promises Reusability

It has been called the Haolong space shuttle and is under development within the Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, part of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). China’s human spaceflight agency CMSA called for proposals for a new cargo craft that could provide an affordable way to take cargo to and from its space station.

At the moment, the Tianzhou spacecraft, a robotic option, sends cargo to the station. However, CMSA was looking for low-cost ideas that don’t burn up on reentry, like the current Tianzhou craft does.

Haolong’s launches will be on top of a rocket and it will land horizontally on a runway when returning to Earth. The design of the shuttle will see it measure 32.8 feet (10 metres) long and 26.2 feet (8 m) wide. It will also weigh less than half of the Tianzhou capsule, adding to the other benefits of this reusable craft.

The engineers working on the shuttle talked to the media about the benefits of the design:

“The Haolong space cargo shuttle is a winged aircraft with an aerodynamic design featuring a large wingspan and a high lift-to-drag ratio,” said Fang Yuanpeng, chief designer. “With a blunt-nosed fuselage and large, swept-back delta wings, it combines the characteristics of both spacecraft and aircraft, allowing it to be launched into orbit by a rocket and land on an airport runway like a plane,” he added.

“After inspection, maintenance and repair, it will be able to perform cargo transport missions again,” said Fang.

Reusable shuttles are something of a trend in the development of spacecraft at the moment. It is anticipated that even more cargo will need to be ferried back and forth. Sierra Space, a US-based private space company, plans to use its Dream Chaser shuttle to send cargo to LEO.

Tiangong will be operational for a decade or more, and the new Haolong design may be a big part of supplying food and other supplies to the astronauts.