China's secret spaceplane spotted in low-Earth orbit
The gist
The Pentagon released a full-resolution orbital image of China's Shenlong spaceplane in a DIA report.
The photo offers a rare look at a program China has kept largely secret.
How it unfolded
- 2020A Shenlong prototype launched on an initial two-day orbital mission; the program's first flight was in September 2020.
- 2022A Shenlong mission lasted 276 days.
- Dec 14, 2023 – Sep 6, 2024The third mission lasted 268 days, and the spaceplane was observed releasing multiple smaller objects into orbit.