China's reusable spacecraft to be launched in 2020

BEIJING - 31 October 2017:China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation said on Tuesday China has plans to launch a reusable spacecraft in 2020, Xinhua news agency reported.

Unlike traditional one-off spacecraft, the new spacecraft will fly into the sky like an aircraft, Chen Hongbo, a researcher from the corporation said in a statement.

The spacecraft can transport people or payload into the orbit and return to Earth.

Chen said that the spacecraft will be easier to maintain and can improve the frequency of launches at lower cost, bringing new opportunities for more people to travel into space.