A state aerospace firm has reportedly begun research on an aircraft capable of taking off from a runway and carrying a crew into low Earth orbit.

The design is purported to be a more efficient successor to Nasa's Space Shuttle, which was launched on a rocket but landed on a runway.

The new space plane is being developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASTC).

When completed it could dramatically reduce the costs of space travel and give China a boost in the renewed space race.

According to Popular Science, the aircraft would take off like a normal plane, before a supersonic scramjet engine kicks in to lift it to almost 100 km above sea level.

At this point, rocket boosters will provide the additional thrust, giving it enough power to escape the clutches of Earth's lower atmosphere.

Plans for the plane were discussed on state broadcaster CCTV, with a plane entering service by 2030.