By Kris Osborn, President, Warrior
China is fast-tracking potential space-travel technology designed to simulate speeds of Mach 30, a paradigm changing velocity more than five times the speed of the hypersonic threshold considered to be Mach 5.
Hypersonic weapons are essentially “here,” and passing the initial hypersonic threshold of Mach 5 is itself a massive breakthrough bringing substantial tactical and strategic implications for future war. Now, China appears to be testing a next-generation, ultra high-speed wind-tunnel designed to conduct “separation tests” of a space plane launching or separating from a host vehicle.
The wind-tunnel was reportedly shown and discussed on the state-run China Central Television (CCTV), according to an essay in The Drive.
“The footage recently broadcast on state television also contains footage of the high-speed oblique detonation wave engine, also known as a shcramjet, used to power the wind tunnel, which can reportedly simulate conditions at speeds up to Mach 30,” the Drive states.
The size, speed and configuration of the space vehicle may not be known, yet scramjet technology has existed and been capable of operations for several years now. What is clear is that China has had a long-standing interest in weaponizing space, and the prospect of a hypersonic space-drone or space plan seems entirely consistent with the PRCs military ambitions. For instance, China has been testing ASAT (anti-satellite) weapons since 2007 and seeks the ability to target US satellites and spacecraft.
Space Attack Drone
In more recent years, the advent of hypersonic flight technology has brought new dimensions to space war possibilities, and the concept of a hypersonic space drone or hypersonic missile defense interceptor seem to be quickly entering the realm of the possible. The US Air Force and US Space Force are now working on the mysterious X-37B space plane, a sleek-looking space-travel platform developed in recent years through a partnership with NASA and the Air Force. Details regarding the technology or mission scope for the X-37B are not available for understandable security reasons, yet its existence certainly invites speculation about the prospect of a weaponized, ultra-high-speed space attack vehicle. Very little is known about the X-37B, apart from US Space Force and NASA information that the vehicle was able to successfully “de-orbit” and return into the earth’s atmosphere.
The possibility of breakthrough space-plane technology demonstrations in the near future seems entirely realistic, given the pace at which hypersonic technology is evolving. Hypersonic flight is already operational in the realm of weapons, and various tests and demonstrations have introduced the possibility of hypersonic drone flight, so it also seems conceivable that there could be some kind of hypersonic “manned” space platform.
When it comes to hypersonic space travel, the operational possibilities seem to have few limits, as a space warfare platform could conduct high-speed, mobile surveillance, networking space, air, surface and ground nodes with new dimensions of speed and mobility, conduct offensive space attacks and even perform missile defense missions to track, target and destroy enemy missiles and even ICBMs.
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University