Imagine a missile that can fly at hypersonic speed, skim through the Earth's upper atmosphere, change course, and accurately hit a target on Earth.

Last August, China was reported to have test-fired such a missile. It circled the globe and struck a target in China.

U.S. military reactions

U.S. General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described China’s test as being "very close” to a “sputnik moment” for the United States.

His references was to the October 4, 1957 launch of Sputnik I by the Soviet Union. It was the world's first artificial satellite. It required only 98 minutes to orbit Earth. Because the United States feared it was losing a weapons race to the USSR, it quickly enlisted resources to match and exceed the space capabilities of Russia.

General John Hyten, the second most senior U.S. general, confirmed that China launched a long-range missile. "It went around the world, dropped off a hypersonic glide vehicle that glided all the way back to China, that impacted a target in China." When asked if the missile hit the target, Hyten said, "Close enough."

Hyten warned that one day China could have the capability to launch a surprise nuclear attack on the U.S. "Why are they building all of this capability?" Hyten asked. "They look like a first-use weapon. That's what those weapons look like to me."

According to the Financial Times, the missile China tested used a hypersonic glide vehicle launched from a rocket in low-Earth orbit. Theoretically, such a missile is capable of evading the U.S. missile defense systems. The Times also noted that the speed with which the Chinese developed the system surprised U.S. national security officials.

Chinese denial

China denies the rocket they tested was a hypersonic missile. China maintains that the test was instead a "routine spacecraft experiment."

Sources: All Sides, CNN (1), CNN (2), MSN, American Enterprise Institute

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NEWS//A sputnik moment

U.S. military reactions

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