Intelligence officials published the photograph in the Challenges to Security in Space report after it was taken by the commercial satellite WorldView-3. The craft features two tail fins, wings, and an open cargo compartment, matching several design hallmarks of the Boeing-built X-37B. While Beijing insists the runway-landing vehicle serves peaceful development purposes, its exact experiments remain hidden behind strict state secrecy. Tracking data indicates the platform repeatedly conducts complex rendezvous manoeuvres and object deployments during extended missions.
Key points
The craft closely mirrors the airframe design and extended orbital endurance of the Ameri…: The craft closely mirrors the airframe design and extended orbital endurance of the American X-37B platform.
Beijing continues to keep the specific hardware, cargo, and mission objectives of the spa…: Beijing continues to keep the specific hardware, cargo, and mission objectives of the space plane classified.
Repeated orbital releases suggest the platform is testing proximity manoeuvres, rendezvou…: Repeated orbital releases suggest the platform is testing proximity manoeuvres, rendezvous capabilities, or routine component jettisoning.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
US Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) has released a rare photograph of China's secretive Shenlong space plane, showing it attached to another spacecraft in orbit with its cargo compartment open. The image, released on Monday, was taken in May 2024 by a US satellite from about 90 kilometres away. It offers a clearer look at the Chinese spacecraft and its activities in space, about which Beijing has revealed very little.
The image was captured when Shenlong was carrying out its third mission. A satellite called WorldView-3, operated by US imagery company Vantor, previously known as Maxar, photographed the vehicle
The picture shows Shenlong's wings and open payload bay, the compartment used to carry equipment into space. Another spacecraft is visible at its rear, with solar panels extended on either side. However, the identity of this satellite and the reason it was connected to Shenlong remain unknown.
According to Space.com, the photograph has a resolution of 4.5 centimetres per pixel. Earlier images taken by observers on Earth had shown the Chinese vehicle in orbit, but they offered fewer details. A less detailed…
The private space venture has achieved complete operational independence from the federal government, marking a historic shift in the traditional aerospace hierarchy. This severed dependence now poses profound strategic challenges for the nation's space agency as it navigates a changing landscape. Consequently, American leadership faces major questions regarding the future direction and control of national space endeavors.
The Defense Intelligence Agency warned that Beijing is developing advanced directed-energy capabilities that could disable critical space assets without creating hazardous orbital debris. Because American military operations depend heavily on satellites for communications, troop tracking, and precision navigation, these emerging weapons pose a direct threat to strategic coordination. Such counterspace systems could severely degrade Western intelligence gathering during potential conflicts in the Indo-Pacific.
Crew members representing both NASA and the Canadian Space Agency are working in the vacuum of space to boost the orbital outpost's operational capabilities. Their mission centers on mounting and unrolling an advanced power apparatus directly onto the station's exterior. This complex installation task is being shared with the public through a live video transmission.