China’s experimental reusable spaceplane has successfully returned to Earth after completing a 268-day mission in orbit. The spaceplane landed at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert on Friday, September 6, 2024, marking the conclusion of a mission that has remained highly secretive. While few details have been officially released, the mission is believed to be a major milestone in China’s development of reusable space technologies. During its extended time in orbit, the spaceplane conducted several undisclosed experiments, raising questions about the nature of the mission an…