China has developed a reusable spaceplane that combines aircraft and spacecraft features and resembles the American X-37B spaceplane.
The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency released a photograph of the vehicle in its report on space threats.
The Chinese spaceplane was captured in satellite imagery taken by Maxar in 2024.
Spaceplanes can operate at the boundary between the atmosphere and space, enter orbit, and return to Earth.
For the military, these vehicles primarily provide access to space, test new technologies, and potentially support military operations.
The vehicle is believed to be called Shenlong. It is launched aboard a Long March 2F rocket.
At least four missions involving vehicles of this type are known. The first launched on September 4, 2020, the second on August 4, 2022, the third on December 14, 2023, and the fourth on February 7 of this year.
The spacecraft spent 276 days in orbit during its second mission and 266 days during its third.
Reliance on expendable spacecraft makes access to space expensive and limited.
Although reusable technologies require more complex and costly development, they can significantly reduce spaceflight costs by allowing spacecraft to be recovered, repaired, and reused.
“At present, the United States is the only country with an operational reusable launch vehicle program, while Beijing hopes to become the second,” the U.S. intelligence report states.
Chinese space companies are developing reusable launch vehicles to help Beijing achieve broader military, civilian, and commercial objectives in space.
The American X-37B Spaceplane
In the United States, Boeing developed the X-37B, an unmanned spacecraft designed to carry out similar missions. NASA initiated the project but later transferred it to the military. The X-37B made its first spaceflight in 2010.
The X-37B has an 8.28-meter fuselage and a 4.6-meter wingspan. According to publicly available sources, the vehicle has a maximum takeoff weight of 4,990 kg.
The X-37B can carry a payload of up to 900 kg into space. Its stated maximum speed is approximately 28,200 km/h.
Source: Militaryni
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