China and US in Hypersonic Race for Space SupremacyIn a bid for dominance in rapid-fire satellite launches, China and the US have unveiled competing futuristic technologies that could prove pivotal in potential scenarios involving targeted satellites.China’s ambitious project, as reported by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), involves the construction of a giant railgun to propel its Tengyun spaceplane. Combining electromagnetic launch capabilities with hypersonic flight, the endeavor aims to accelerate the aircraft to Mach 1.6 on a massive electromagnetic launch track, before igniting its engine for entry into near space at seven times the speed of sound.The Tengyun spaceplane is envisioned not only for crew and cargo transportation into orbit but also for satellite deployment and potential missions such as satellite docking or surveillance. SCMP underscores the project’s significance in overcoming challenges in high-speed flight efficiency through electromagnetic launch technology.Facilitating this endeavor, the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) has erected a two-kilometer low-vacuum track high-speed maglev test facility in Datong, Shanxi province. Currently capable of propelling heavy objects to speeds nearing 1,000 kilometers per hour, the facility’s expansion aims to achieve a maximum operating speed of 5,000 kilometers per hour in the near future.Meanwhile, in the US, Stratolaunch has made strides with its Talon-A (TA-1) hypersonic vehicle. Recent reports from The Warzone detail TA-1’s successful maiden powered flight, conducted off California’s coast. Launched from the company’s Roc jet, the wedge-shaped unmanned aircraft achieved approximately 200 seconds of powered flight, reaching supersonic speeds approaching Mach 5, with projections of eventually reaching Mach 6.Stratolaunch, redirecting its focus to hypersonic development support since 2018, contemplates enhancing TA-1’s performance with fueling top-off capability. Both TA-1 and its successor, TA-2, are fully reusable and feature tricycle landing gear for recovery, with TA-2 earmarked for potential use as threat-representative targets for hypersonic threat engagement and interception by the US Missile Defense Agency.While TA-1 primarily serves as a practice target for hypersonic missile defense, its design elements and testing data could contribute significantly to the development of Stratolaunch’s Black Ice spaceplane. Envisioned to possess advanced on-orbit cargo return and launch capabilities, Black Ice represents a potential leap in space technology.China’s railgun launch system for spaceplanes shares conceptual similarities with the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) deployed on its Fujian aircraft carrier and US Gerald Ford-class supercarriers. Unlike traditional steam catapults, EMALS employs a linear induction motor for aircraft propulsion, enabling the launch of heavier aircraft in shorter periods while being gentler on airframes.As both nations accelerate their pursuit of cutting-edge space launch capabilities, the outcome of this hypersonic race could reshape the future of satellite deployment and space exploration.Transcript