A US Satellite Caught China’s Top-Secret Spaceplane on Camera

A recently released image from a US satellite has provided a rare glimpse of China's top-secret spaceplane, named Shenlong. For years, space trackers have monitored the mysterious vehicle, which has been orbiting Earth since at least 2018. The new photograph, captured by Vantor (formerly Maxar) in 2024, shows a craft with two slender wings and a docked satellite featuring two large solar arrays. The design of Shenlong bears a striking resemblance to the US military's own spaceplane, the X-37B, operated by the Space Force.

Despite its similar appearance, the Pentagon's latest report offers little insight into the purpose of China's spaceplane. The secretive nation has claimed that Shenlong will "pave the way for more convenient and affordable round-trip methods for the peaceful use of space in the future." However, experts suggest that the vehicle may also be used to capture other objects, possibly with the aid of robotic arms.

The X-37B, developed by Boeing, has been circling the planet for over 16 years, with its most recent mission launching in August 2025. In 2024, the spaceplane performed a risky "aerobraking maneuver" in orbit to lower itself from a highly elliptical orbit. The Pentagon's report warns that China's military may possess multiple ground-based laser weapons capable of disrupting, degrading, or damaging satellites.

The report suggests that by the late 2020s, China may have the capability to field space-based directed energy systems and higher-powered ground-based directed energy systems that could threaten satellites in higher orbits.