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China’s Shenlong space plane (depicted in this artist’s rendering) is presently on its fourth orbital expedition. Its exact appearance remains unknown, though indistinct images suggest it may feature a retractable solar panel.(Image credit: Erik Simonsen via Getty Images)
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China’s highly classified space plane has recently discharged another unidentified object above Earth, sparking curiosity about the activities of this enigmatic craft. The covert spacecraft has now released a minimum of nine payloads in orbit around our planet since 2022, and their functions are not understood.
The Shenlong, or “divine dragon,” space plane is an expendable, automated spacecraft that China has repeatedly propelled into low Earth orbit (LEO) atop vertical rockets, subsequently re-entering the atmosphere for a horizontal runway landing – reminiscent of the notable spacecraft from NASA’s now-discontinued Space Shuttle program.
The space plane has never been captured on camera by external nations, leaving us without a clear depiction of its form or dimensions. Officials from China’s aerospace sector have yet to provide any substantive details regarding its design or intended use.
Shenlong’s maiden voyage into space occurred in September 2020, lasting two days. This was followed by an eight-month duration in LEO from August 2022 to May 2023, and a nine-month spaceflight from December 2023 to September 2024. It deployed its inaugural payload shortly after the commencement of its second mission and released seven additional objects during its third mission, with six of these being jettisoned concurrently.
The space plane’s current, fourth mission commenced on February 7th, launching atop a Long March 2F rocket from China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, according to Space.com, a sister publication to Live Science. To date, no information regarding its present operations has been reported.
LeoLabs, an American company focused on space exploration, was the initial entity to register the new object following its deployment by the Shenlong space plane.
(Image credit: LeoLabs)
However, on June 22nd, LeoLabs, a private firm specializing in space surveillance and tracking of spacecraft in LEO, identified “an unknown object in the proximity [of the spaceplane],” as stated in a post on X. This enigmatic payload was first detected by one of the company’s radar installations in New Zealand and did not correspond to any existing object in the company’s database.
Later that same day, LeoLabs representatives provided an update to their post, indicating that following further observations from their global radar network, they had “independently cataloged this object and assessed with high confidence that it was released from the Chinese space plane.”
On June 23rd, Dr. Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer and satellite tracking specialist affiliated with Durham University in the UK, and formerly of the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, confirmed in a separate X post that the newly detected object originated from Shenlong and was being monitored by the U.S. Space Force.
Dr. McDowell also posited that it might be a “cubesat,” a compact, often box-shaped satellite frequently deployed as a secondary payload alongside larger space vehicles. Nevertheless, similar to the previously released objects, its precise function remains undetermined.
The Shenlong likely shares certain design characteristics with the U.S. Space Force’s X-37B space plane.
(Image credit: U.S. Space Force)
Space News has previously indicated that Shenlong’s primary objective may involve executing rendezvous and proximity operations with other spacecraft, and that its payloads might serve as practice targets for flyby maneuvers in orbit.
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Further speculation from sources like Gizmodo suggests that the mystery objects could be covert surveillance satellites or equipped with anti-satellite weaponry. However, no incidents involving sabotage of spacecraft by the space plane or its payloads have been reported to date.
Shenlong has accumulated nearly 700 cumulative days in LEO. During this period, amateur photographers managed to capture some indistinct images of light reflecting off the mysterious space plane. The most striking photograph, taken in August 2024, showed a luminous appendage extending from the main vehicle. Experts theorized this was most likely a solar array, which is a common feature for spacecraft relying at least partially on solar power.
China is not the sole nation possessing a secretive space plane. The U.S. also operates a similar craft, the X-37B, whose two active models have collectively spent over 4,200 days in LEO since 2010. However, American authorities have been considerably more transparent in disclosing details about their space plane’s design, mission objectives, and research aims.
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Sourse: www.livescience.com
