China’s first recoverable and reusable satellite returned to Earth late Thursday after two weeks of experiments in low Earth orbit. The Shijian-19 satellite landed at the Dongfeng Landing Site near the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert at 22:39 on October 10 (02:39 UTC, October 11). A tractor opened the spacecraft to retrieve its payload.

Shijian-19 was launched on a Long March 2D rocket from Jiuquan on September 27. According to the statement made by the China National Space Administration (CNSA), it carried plant and microorganism propagation payloads, as well as autonomous, controllable and new technology test payloads, space science experiment payloads and cultural objects.

CNSA said the mission also “validated the technical performance of the next-generation high-performance reusable space platform and achieved several expected test results.”

According to the statement made by CNSA after the launch, the mission also carries cargo from five countries, including Thailand and Pakistan.

China has great interest in growing crops in space. Exposure to space conditions is thought to accelerate genetic mutations that can increase crop resistance and productivity. With relatively little arable land, China is looking for ways to increase crop yields and agricultural products.

Officials from the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), the manufacturer of the spacecraft, announced the reusable Shijian recoverable satellite series in 2018. Initially, CAST planned approximately 15 missions for the period 2019-2025. However, Shijian-19 was the first such mission.

The Shijian-19 satellite, which weighs approximately 3,500 kilograms, has different configurations for different mission requirements. This mission used a “short-term” version designed for missions lasting approximately two weeks. The long-duration configuration, which includes solar cells in its engine and propulsion module, is capable of staying in orbit for longer periods of time and supports advanced experiments. The recoverable part can carry a payload of 500 to 600 kilograms.

The Shijian-19 mission is part of China’s broader space program, which includes ambitious plans for deep space exploration, a series of experiments at the Tiangong Space Station, and advances in reusable space technologies.

The new Shijian satellite is based on China’s Fanhui Shi Weixing (“renewable satellite”) series, which was first launched in the 1970s. These satellites specifically used impregnated oak as a heat shield to enter the spacecraft.

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The launch of Shijian-19 was China’s 46th orbital mission in 2024. The country launched a new high-orbit Internet satellite for purposes that have since been unknown (October 10). The crewed Shenzhou-19 mission is currently expected to launch in late October, although an exact date has not been announced. The first sign of the upcoming launch will be the withdrawal of the Long March 2F launch vehicle from Jiuquan a few days before the launch.

The second batch of Chinese satellites of the Qianfan/Thousand Sails megaconstellation could be launched as early as next week. The mission will be closely monitored for several reasons. These include potential debris from Long March 6A, created by the initial launch of the Qianfan satellite, and the satellites’ apparent brightness, which could be problematic for astronomy. In late September, CASC announced plans for more than 20 launches by the end of the year.