DIA releases clearest image of China’s reusable space plane with attached service module

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The DIA report reviews the three missions flown between 2020 and 2023, highlighting rendezvous and proximity operations reported on the second and third flights, before China relaunches the spacecraft in February 2026.

The US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has released a new image of China’s secret reusable spaceplane, captured by a Maxar Technologies spacecraft in 2024. Published in the DIA’s “Challenges for Security in Space” report on October 26, 2026, the photo provides a rare view of the orbiting spacecraft with its attached service module.

China’s experimental reusable spacecraft has carried out four orbital missions since September 2020, launched aboard Long March 2F rockets. The first mission lasted two days; the second, launched in August 2022, remained in orbit for 276 days; and the third, launched in December 2023, lasted 268 days. A fourth mission began in February 2026.

Before the release of the Maxar image, public imagery was limited to grainy ground-based telescope observations and computer-generated illustrations with Chinese markings. In early 2023, space tracking forums observed the Chinese spacecraft repeatedly connecting with another object, but no images existed at the time.

The Maxar image used in the DIA report is dated 2024, when the spacecraft launched in December 2023 was still in orbit on its third mission. The moment therefore corresponds to the photograph depicting the vehicle during this theft, although the exact date of capture has not been made public.

The report identifies two Chinese space models, Shenlong and Tengyun, but it is unclear which of them is in the image. China’s spacecraft is often compared to the US Space Force’s X-37B, as both are unmanned reusable orbital vehicles designed to return to Earth.

However, the design, payload and mission objectives of the Chinese vehicle remain largely confidential. Tracking data indicates that it deployed objects and conducted rendezvous and proximity operations, but these observations do not establish the spacecraft’s intended military role.

The spaceplane appears in the DIA’s broader assessment of space-related capabilities and threats, the aim of which is to cover the capabilities of strategic rivals. “The updated report details the military and space defense objectives, including strategies, plans and intentions, of China, Russia, and emerging space powers Iran and North Korea,” the press release said.

The Long March 2F/T launch vehicle, similar to the one used to carry China’s reusable space plane, takes off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. (Image credit: Xinhua)

Chinese spaceship

The image shows the underside of China’s reusable space plane, with its service module attached and solar panels deployed. The module is intended to provide electrical power and propulsion during the orbital mission before separating from the spaceplane before re-entry, similar to the X-37B’s service module.

The image also appears to show the spacecraft’s cargo bay doors, although the precise configuration and function of the visible elements have not been publicly detailed. Possibilities include systems such as robotic arms, small satellites or specimens for in-orbit testing.

Beijing launched its first-ever reusable spaceplane prototype on September 4, 2020 aboard a Long March 2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China’s Gobi Desert. The spacecraft remained in orbit for two days before returning to Earth.

Although Chinese authorities did not initially disclose the landing site in detail, an open source analysis of satellite imagery linked the landing to a runway near the Lop Nur nuclear test site in northwest China.

The spaceplane’s second launch took place on August 4, 2022, this time spending 276 days in orbit until May 8, 2023. According to the DIA, the vehicle appeared to “maneuver with a companion satellite and perform station keeping at approximately 1 km separation.”

“At one point, the two objects appeared within 100 meters of each other. The space plane and satellite may have encountered each other before the satellite was released,” the DIA report said.

On May 8, 2023, commercial space tracking company LeoLabs reported that its observations indicated repeated deployments, formation flights, and apparent docking or capture operations involving “Object J”:

“Since its launch on August 4, 2022, we have observed several large maneuvers increasing the object’s altitude – as well as repeated deployments, formation flights, and docking of an Object J sub-satellite (NORAD ID 54218). We determined that the test spacecraft2 had propulsion capability and engaged in close proximity operations with Object J, including what appeared to be at least two and possibly three capture/docking operations.”

China launched the spacecraft for its third orbital mission on December 14, 2023. It remained in orbit for 268 days and returned on September 6, 2024, according to the DIA report.

X-37BX-37B
Mission seven of the US Space Force’s X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle successfully landed at Vandenberg Space Base, California, on March 7, 2025. (Image credit: Courtesy photo US Space Force)

During this flight, the spacecraft again “released and interacted with an object,” according to the DIA. Considering that the Maxar image was taken in 2024, we can assume that the vehicle was photographed during this third mission.

Although it was not covered by the report, the spacecraft’s fourth mission began in February 2026. Orbital tracking data analyzed by astronomer Jonathan McDowell indicated that the vehicle released and then recaptured the same object, whose precise identity and purpose remains unknown, with similar operations reportedly repeated later in the flight.

Future and goal

The spacecraft’s close-in operations have raised questions about potential counterspace applications, with some theories attributing more exotic kinetic “anti-satellite” capabilities to the Chinese spacecraft.

Although there is no evidence that the vehicle is intended as a kinetic anti-satellite weapon and the spaceplane’s intended mission remains unknown, space is becoming a contested domain. The observed rendezvous and capture capabilities can support satellite inspection and maintenance, but could also allow interference with other spacecraft.

The spacecraft’s potential military applications remain unclear. Although there is no public evidence confirming that the vehicle carries military payloads, such a platform could be used for space reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, and surveillance of other space objects, as well as kinetic missions possibly involving the use of directed energy weapons, offensive weapons, or electronic warfare.

China, however, has maintained a non-military vocation for this spacecraft. An automatic translation of a China the August 5, 2022 launch report said:

“The test spacecraft will remain in orbit for a period of time before returning to the planned landing site in China, during which a technology verification of reusable and on-orbit services will be carried out as planned to provide technical support for the peaceful use of space.”

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