China's top-secret spaceplane can't hide in low-Earth orbit

A newly released high-resolution image shows China’s winged, reusable spacecraft in orbit, photographed in 2024 by a commercial Earth-imaging satellite. Its delta wings, payload bay, heat shield, and solar-powered service module closely resemble the US military’s X-37B. China has flown the vehicle - often called Shenlong, though its official name remains unclear - on four missions since 2020, with flights lasting as long as nine months. The craft launches atop a conventional rocket, operates as an uncrewed satellite, and returns for an automated runway landing. Its maneuverability and ability to carry small satellites offer advantages over conventional spacecraft, but its missions remain largely secret. Tracking data indicate that the current mission repeatedly released and recaptured a small object in orbit, possibly demonstrating a robotic-arm capability.

The image also illustrates how commercial satellites can inspect spacecraft during chance orbital encounters, giving governments and companies a way to study otherwise classified designs. A Defense Intelligence Agency threat assessment describes a broader contest over such capabilities. It says China views directed-energy weapons, including lasers that could disrupt or damage satellites, as promising counterspace tools; by the late 2020s, China may field space-based systems and more powerful ground-based lasers. The assessment also cites Chinese anti-satellite missile tests, satellite refueling in geosynchronous orbit, robotic-arm experiments, and satellites that approach other spacecraft. The United States and Russia are developing or operating their own inspection and combat capabilities, underscoring growing risks to satellites and the strategic importance of maneuvering, servicing, and weapons in orbit.