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A US military intelligence agency has released an incredible new photograph of China’s secret space plane, showing it docked with another orbiting spacecraft.
The photograph was taken in 2024 by Vantor’s WorldView 3 satellite, at a distance of 90 kilometers. Ground observers have has already photographed Shenlong in orbitbut this new Vantor photo, taken from space, reveals new details about the mysterious spacecraft in stunning clarity, with a resolution of 4.5 centimeters (1.8 inches) per pixel.
In the image, the robot Shenlong space plane can be seen docked with another satellite whose solar panels are deployed. We don’t yet know which satellite it is. The Shenlong’s cargo doors are also visible in the photo, in the open position.
These payload gates could offer clues as to what Shenlong is doing on its fourth mission, which launched in February 2026. The Chinese space agency declared only that Shenlong helps test technologies that “will pave the way for more practical and affordable round-trip methods for the peaceful use of space in the future.”
But observers have seen Shenlong drop other objects into orbit, such as in June 2026, when US space intelligence firm LeoLabs reported that he detected a new object near the space plane.
“Following additional observations across our global network and analyzes via LeoLabs Delta, we independently cataloged this object and assessed with high confidence that it was released from the Chinese spaceplane,” LeoLabs said at the time. “This activity is consistent with sub-satellite deployments conducted by the spaceplane on previous missions.”
A similar event happened during Shenlong’s third missionwhich ended in 2024. During its second mission in 2023, the spaceplane also posted an item and may have conducted what are called proximity and rendezvous operations, in which two spacecraft maneuver in close proximity to each other.
However, the spacecraft may have released unnecessary material before landing. As with all things military space, few details have been made public about Shenlong’s operations.
Similarly, the United States operates a secret robotic space plane, the Boeing model. X-37Band rarely publishes concrete details about its capabilities or missions. In February 2025, the US Space Force published his first photo of the X-37B in space, providing a rare glimpse of the spaceplane in operation. The photo appears to show it in high Earth orbit with what appears to be its payload bay doors open.
In 2023, Space Force released its first official painting, depicting an X-37B type spaceplane in orbit above Earth, intercept another satellite.
With China and the United States currently vying for leadership of what many observers have called a new space raceRare glimpses like these images may be a way for the military and intelligence agencies to tease their capabilities without fully revealing them to the public.
Gn world
