China wants to take a shortcut in sending their rockets into space. Instead of the usual take off from the ground, Chinese engineers are working on designing a space rocket that can be launched from an aircraft.

the rockets are meant to send hundreds of low-orbit satellites into space for military and research purposes.

The country will only consider launching solid-fuel rockets from aircraft, as land-based rockets relying on liquid fuel require days of preparation, according to Chinese experts, and China will continue to rely on conventional rockets for heavier satellites, as well.


If successful, China may be pioneering a new method for the country to fly space missions. Air-launched rockets can be deployed more quickly than their ground-launched counterparts, so the method could save valuable time when sending a crew to repair satellites or when launching observation satellites that could assist in relief efforts during disasters.

Recently, China has been beefing up its space program. Just last year, the country sent its second space station into orbit, as the Tiangong-1 retired with a crash into the Earth. By April 2017, the Chinese plan to launch their first cargo spacecraft into space with a goal to maintain a permanently crewed space station by 2022. China has also expressed intentions to send a mission to Mars.
https://futurism.com/china-is-making...h-from-planes/