Chinese airspace was busyMonday as the nation recovered and launched two separate return satelliteslikely carrying a wide array of experiments, demonstrations, and reconnaissancepayloads for the nation's government, military, and research industries.
The capsules were part ofChina's 30-year old FSW program that uses recoverable spacecraft to loftmaterial into orbit for temporary missions that range across a variety offields.
Coming back from space onMonday morning was an FSW satellite launched on August 2 from the Jiuquanlaunch center nestled in northwest China's Gobi desert. State media reportedthe craft landed after its 27-day stint in orbit, marking the 20th successfulrecovery in the history of the series.
"The satellitecompleted all its tasks including space surveying and scientific tests,"China's People's Daily newspaper said.
This flight is the 22ndlaunch for the FSW program dating back to the mid-1970's, though the spacecraftdesign has undergone several updates to allow for additional capability andreliability.
"The satellite willcarry out a series of jobs on scientific research, land surveying, mapping, and(technological) tests," People's Daily reported.
China will soon turn itsattention to the nation's second human spaceflight slated for October. Duringthat mission, a crew of two Chinese military pilots will embark on a voyagethat could last several days up to a week.
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