Nation's space shuttle set to improve efficiency, cut costs

The Aviation Industry Corp of China is a major hardware supplier to the People's Liberation Army Air Force, Navy and Ground Force. And now, it has earned a new client — the China Manned Space Agency.

A reusable cargo spaceplane, one of the company's latest products, has gained the AVIC a contract from the space agency, which runs China's crewed spaceflights.

According to the State-owned defense conglomerate, the Haolong space shuttle, designed by its Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute in Sichuan province, aims to further reduce the cargo transportation costs involved in the operation of China's Tiangong space station.