China's secret space plane seen with attached module in rare US-released image

Image of the mysterious spacecraft (Photo: DIA)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. However, the identity of this satellite and the reason it was connected to Shenlong remain unknown.According to Space.com, the photograph has a resolution of 4.5 centimetres per pixel. Earlier images taken by observers on Earth had shown the Chinese vehicle in orbit, but they offered fewer details. A less detailed version of the same photograph was also presented by the US Space Force in South Korea in 2024. The clearer image has now appeared in the DIA's Challenges to Security in Space report.China's Shenlong space planeChina has been testing Shenlong for six years, but much of its work remains undisclosed. The spacecraft is designed to travel into orbit aboard a rocket and return to Earth by landing on a runway. This makes it reusable, unlike spacecraft that cannot be recovered after completing their missions.Its first flight took place in September 2020 and lasted just two days. The next mission was much longer, with Shenlong spending 276 days in orbit. Its third flight continued for 268 days before ending in September 2024.China launched the vehicle for a fourth time on February 7, 2026. It travelled aboard a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. Chinese state news agency Xinhua described the mission as part of efforts to develop reusable spacecraft technology for peaceful purposes.However, the Chinese authorities have not publicly explained what equipment Shenlong carries or the specific experiments being conducted during its flights.According to Aero Time, the spacecraft's appearance has also attracted attention. It has wings, two tail fins and a central payload bay, giving it a design similar to the American X-37B space plane. Both vehicles can spend long periods in orbit before returning to Earth.Objects detected near ShenlongThe photograph is not the only reason Shenlong has attracted attention. During several missions, observers have detected objects moving near the spacecraft, raising questions about the activities taking place in orbit.One such incident occurred in June 2026, during Shenlong's fourth mission. American space intelligence company LeoLabs detected an object near the Chinese vehicle and examined observations collected through its global monitoring network.Following its analysis, the company said it had determined with high confidence that the object had been released by Shenlong. It also noted that similar releases had occurred during earlier missions.An object was also observed during Shenlong's third flight, while its second mission in 2023 involved another release. During that earlier flight, the spacecraft may also have carried out proximity and rendezvous operations.These are manoeuvres in which spacecraft move close to one another in orbit. Such movements can allow vehicles to approach other objects in space, although the purpose of Shenlong's reported activities has not been confirmed.There is also another possible explanation. The spacecraft may have been discarding equipment it no longer needed before returning to Earth. With little information available about the missions, observers have not been able to establish exactly what these objects were or why they were released.The US secretive reusable space planeShenlong has often been compared with the Boeing-built X-37B, a reusable robotic spacecraft operated by the US Space Force. The American vehicle also carries out extended missions in orbit, although many details of its operations are not made public.Some of the experiments conducted aboard the X-37B have been disclosed. During its eighth mission, the US Space Force announced plans to test laser communications between satellites and a quantum inertial sensor. The latter is designed to help spacecraft navigate without depending on GPS.Earlier missions examined aerobraking, a method of changing a spacecraft's orbit, and the effects of space radiation on seeds. Another experiment investigated the possibility of collecting solar energy in space and transmitting power back to Earth.The US has also released relatively few photographs of the X-37B while it is operating in orbit. In February 2025, the Space Force made public an image that appeared to show the vehicle with its payload bay doors open.