China's secret space plane seen with attached module in rare US-released image
The US Defense Intelligence Agency has released a high-resolution image of China's secretive Shenlong space plane, showing it docked with an unidentified module in orbit. The reusable spacecraft has been the subject of speculation due to its long, undisclosed missions and advanced orbital capabilities.
Why it matters
The image provides rare visual evidence of China's growing space capabilities, highlighting ongoing geopolitical competition and surveillance in low Earth orbit.
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 vehicleThe 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.
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