China’s new hypersonic missile test
PEJOURNAL - In August, a Chinese rocket carried a projectile into space. That projectile, reported by US intelligence agencies as a missile and by China as a reusable space vehicle, fell into an orbit, circled the globe, and then glided into a spot about 24 miles away from its original target. The launch represents a demonstration of a new capability for China, the revitalization of an old technology, and a complicated way to bypass existing missile defenses. While the speed and the gliding are notable parts of the system China launched, what most stands out is the specific trajectory it…