China on Monday denied a report that it tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile earlier this year. It rather insisted that it was carrying out a spacecraft check focused on reusable technology.
Africa Daily News, New York gathered that the Financial Times (FT) who cited multiple sources familiar with the matter reported on Saturday that China had carried out the projectile test in August.
The trial allegedly saw the nuclear-capable hypersonic missile circle around the globe at low orbit before cruising down towards its target, which it missed by about 38km (24 miles).
However, China’s foreign ministry has now denied the report.
‘It was not a missile, it was a space vehicle,’ ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular press briefing in Beijing when asked about the newspaper’s report, adding it had been a ‘routine test’ for the purpose of testing technology to reuse the vehicle.
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Zhao added that the trial, which the foreign ministry said took place in July, not August, was of “great significance for reducing the use-cost of spacecraft and could provide a convenient and affordable way to make a round trip for mankind’s peaceful use of space.”
He claimed that many countries had carried out similar tests in the past.
The developments come amid mounting tensions between China and the United States, where intelligence agencies were reportedly ‘caught by surprise’ over the alleged missile test.
Two of the sources cited by the newspaper said the trial showed that Beijing had made ‘astounding progress on hypersonic weapons and was far more advanced than US officials realised’.
Hypersonic missiles travel at more than five times the speed of sound in the upper atmosphere – or about 6,200km/h (3,850 mph).
Though they are slower than traditional ballistic missiles, which fly into outer space before returning on steep trajectories at higher speeds, hypersonic missiles are manoeuvrable, making them harder to track and defend against.
Along with China and the US, several other countries are also working on hypersonic technology.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
