China’s mysterious experimental space plane, Shenlong, has returned from space after completing its third orbital test, where it spent 268 days gauging the spacecraft’s reusable technologies.
The experimental spacecraft, launched on December 14 on board a Long March-2F rocket, made its successful landing at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre site in the Gobi Desert on Friday, according to the South China Morning Post.
Much about the spacecraft’s highly classified mission remain unknown, although state media reports currently point to tests designed to gauge reusable technologies and to conduct scientific experiments in orbit.
The recent test marks notable progress for China in its use of reusable space technologies, as Beijing endeavors to match the capabilities of the United States in the burgeoning 21st century commercial space industry.
Shenlong is frequently compared to the U.S. military’s X-37B, a reusable space plane which launched on its seventh mission late last year. Currently, the X-37B holds the record for the longest orbital operation undertaken by a reusable spacecraft, having spent a total of 908 consecutive days in space.
In January, Shenlong’s orbit changed as the space plane rose approximately 300 kilometers to a maximum altitude of 600 kilometers. Four months later, the U.S. Space Force detected a secondary object as it was deployed from Shenlong while operating at this altitude, which later entered a similar orbit as China’s space plane.
Right now, it remains unclear what the object’s purpose had been, although it was one of several objects that are believed to have potentially been deployed during the 267-day mission, although some objects that have been associated with the space plane in the past were later identified as debris.
Currently, the space plane’s payload, as well as further details about its specific mission, have not been disclosed.
U.S. officials and leaders in other nations, have expressed concerns about the potential military capabilities of reusable space planes like Shenlong, which include their potential use in launching satellites, or even potential anti-satellite weaponry.
Despite the secrecy surrounding China’s experimental space plane, it is known that the spacecraft, after being deployed into orbit aboard a rocket, is capable of adjusting its position and performing maneuvers, along with its ability to carry and deploy unknown payloads.
Several U.S. military and governmental organizations, as well as commercial groups and even amateur astronomers, have had success tracking Shenlong’s activities during its missions.
“While highly classified space activities, such as those of the Shenlong and X-37B, will continue to take place in a secretive manner, their activities can be tracked – by the commercial world, by amateur astronomers and, most importantly, by their adversaries,” wrote Juliana Suess, a Research Fellow on Space Security with the Military Sciences team at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), in June.
In August, Shenlong was successfully photographed by an amateur astronomer as it passed over Austria, which revealed what appeared to be a pair of solar panels used to power the spacecraft.
Although Shenlong’s latest mission has concluded, future tests are expected to push the spacecraft’s capabilities even further, and more importantly, will help to reveal more about China’s ambitions in space amid increasing transparency afforded by the tracking capabilities of commercial, civilian, and governmental groups.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. He can be reached by email at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow his work at micahhanks.com and on X: @MicahHanks.