BEIJING, August 26. /TASS/. China on Friday tested a return suborbital launcher for the first time ever, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation announced.

The launcher took off from the Jiuquan launch site and landed successfully in the khoshun (a territorial unit corresponding in administrative functions to the county - TASS) of Alashan-Yuqi in the north of the country, the corporation said on its WeChat social network page.

"This successful test flight will allow our country's aerospace industry to take a powerful leap forward in its development and transition from single-use to returnable launchers," the corporation said.

Beijing is actively developing its national space program, as well as meteorological, telecommunications and navigation satellites, including technology for the Moon exploration. Chinese specialists simultaneously master the project of asteroid and Mars exploration. The construction of the Chinese space station in orbit is underway, which, according to the plan, should work in normal mode at the end of the current year.

In 2021, China carried out 55 space launches, setting a national record. According to this indicator, China surpassed the US, taking first place in the world.