That work on the creation of the space plane are already underway, the portal South China Morning Post said one of the leaders of the Corporation Casic, which experts are engaged in the development.
Vice-President of the aerospace Corporation Liu Shiquan said that the design has already been completed, so soon professionals need to start testing individual aircraft systems. It is known that the aircraft would be enhanced and the “enhanced version” of the ship White Knight Two, which is developing the American company Virgin Galactic.
According to the developers, a Chinese spaceship will be able to fly longer and higher. Using for takeoff and landing conventional airports, it will be able to land and take off anywhere. While its design and power should enable to reach the ISS and dock with it. If successful, it will allow China to significantly reduce the costs necessary to deliver cargo and people into orbit.
However, since the transfer of the finished project in production should take a long time, so even a test model of a Chinese spaceship will have to wait at least a year and a half. About when it plans to launch into production, not reported.
China began the development of spacecraft with a horizontal takeoff
Vyacheslav Larionov