Pentagon releases full-resolution image of Chinese spaceplane in orbit

The Pentagon made public a full-resolution image Monday of China’s Shenlong spaceplane in orbit through an unclassified Defense Intelligence Agency threat assessment.

The photo appears on page 53 of the report, with a caption that calls the vehicle an unnamed Chinese spaceplane. Popular Science identifies the vehicle as Shenlong, China’s second reusable orbital vehicle. The image is a full-resolution public view of the vehicle. China revealed Shenlong’s existence almost 20 years ago, and little is publicly known about the project.

Shenlong’s first orbital flight in 2020 lasted two days and ended at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. The second mission began in August 2022 with 276 days in Earth orbit, and the third began in December 2023 with a 268-day duration. The fourth mission lifted off from Jiuquan on February 7, 2026, and remained in orbit as of October 2026, placing Shenlong alongside the U.S. X-37B.

China has carried out four Shenlong missions since 2020, lasting anywhere from two days to nine months, and whether China operates one or more spaceplanes is not publicly known. The fourth mission remains active as of October 2026.

The vehicle’s delta wings, payload bay, heat shield and rear-mounted solar arrays resemble those on the U.S. Space Force‘s X-37B. Among the shared features are a dark heat shield, payload bay doors and a service module equipped with solar arrays. Shenlong also looks like a smaller NASA Space Shuttle, with small wings and twin vertical tails, and it launches inside a rocket payload shroud before landing on a runway. The U.S. Space Force has publicly disclosed X-37B design details, while China has maintained secrecy around Shenlong’s technical specifications.

The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, a state-owned maker of civilian and military launch vehicles, produces Shenlong. The academy builds both civilian and military space launch vehicles, and Beijing has disclosed little about the vehicle’s technical details or its mission. The project has operated with minimal public disclosure since its 2020 debut.

According to the Defense Intelligence Agency report, Shenlong has carried out docking operations, formation flying, vertical takeoff and horizontal landing in orbit. Shenlong has also released unidentified objects that sent signals while in orbit. The document says Shenlong deployed an object and interacted with it, and U.S. military officials have cataloged some of these objects, though their purpose remains unknown. Beijing has not announced or confirmed that Shenlong deployed the objects, even though the U.S. military cataloged them.

China has also not disclosed details about the objects or their purpose.

A commercial satellite owned in the United States photographed China’s spaceplane in orbit in 2024. The satellite’s owner, Vantor, known as Maxar, supplies reconnaissance imagery to the U.S. military and intelligence agencies. Reconnaissance Earth-imaging satellites can aim their telescopes at objects in space.

Publicly available lower-resolution images once showed the general shape of a Chinese spaceplane before the DIA assessment. A U.S. Space Force official revealed Maxar’s observation during a 2024 conference in South Korea, while the Pentagon waited until Monday to release the full-resolution image publicly.

Popular Science reports the X-37B is more than 29 feet long, has a 15-foot wingspan and reaches orbital speeds of 17,426 mph. Popular Science says Boeing designed the solar-powered X-37B, which takes off vertically and lands horizontally. Ars Technica notes the Space Force flies two X-37Bs in rotation, and that the longest of eight missions lasted two-and-a-half years.

Popular Science says the current eighth classified mission tests advanced laser communications and quantum instruments. Ars Technica notes most X-37B activities in space remain classified even though officials have released photos, design details and some experiments.

The 130-page Challenges to Security in Space report looks at space-based issues for the United States and its allies, considers orbital debris an international problem and covers the goals of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. The document reviews the near- and long-term space goals of rival nations. The assessment is part of a broader Defense Intelligence Agency review of threats to U.S. and allied space security.

Shenlong and the X-37B are both reusable vehicles that orbit Earth, take off vertically, land horizontally and undertake long missions in Earth orbit. The programs mirror each other in secrecy: the United States acknowledges the X-37B, while China has disclosed little about Shenlong. The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology builds Shenlong, while Boeing designs the X-37B.