{"id":30106759,"date":"2026-10-29T11:18:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T10:18:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/chinese-spaceplane-dia-image-maxar-shenlong-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-10-29T11:50:59","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T10:50:59","slug":"chinese-spaceplane-dia-image-maxar-shenlong-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/chinese-spaceplane-dia-image-maxar-shenlong-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Chinese Spaceplane: DIA Releases the Clearest Image Yet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n\n\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\n\n<style>\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid #0F1720;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;font-weight:700;line-height:1;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;transition:background .15s,color 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It launches on a rocket, stays in orbit for months, releases small objects, lands on a runway in the desert, and Beijing says almost nothing about any of it.<\/p>\n\n<p>Now the US Defense Intelligence Agency has published the best picture of the Chinese spaceplane to date. The image sits inside the agency's unclassified report <em>Challenges to Security in Space<\/em>, released on 26 October 2026, with a short caption crediting Maxar.<\/p>\n\n<p>It shows a small winged vehicle in orbit, payload bay doors open, with a cylindrical section at the tail and solar arrays spread out on either side. For a programme Beijing has kept almost entirely out of sight, that counts as a full reveal.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border:1px solid #e2e7ee;padding:18px 22px;margin:22px 0 26px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px\"><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Vehicle:<\/strong> Chinese reusable experimental spacecraft, an uncrewed spaceplane<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>New image:<\/strong> Taken by a Maxar satellite in 2024, published by the DIA on 26 October 2026<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Mission 1:<\/strong> Launched 4 September 2020, about 2 days in orbit<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Mission 2:<\/strong> Launched 4 August 2022, 276 days in orbit<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Mission 3:<\/strong> Launched 14 December 2023, landed 6 September 2024 after about 268 days<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Mission 4:<\/strong> Launched 7 February 2026, still in orbit<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Launcher:<\/strong> Long March 2F from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Names:<\/strong> DIA lists two Chinese spaceplane models, Shenlong and Tengyun<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">What the picture shows<\/h2>\n\n<p>The image was taken by a Maxar (now Vantor) satellite in 2024. In an update to its report, The War Zone said Vantor gave the date as 28 May 2024 and the camera as WorldView-3, shooting from just under 90 km away. That date falls in the middle of the third mission.<\/p>\n\n<p>The vehicle has a compact, shuttle-like body, short wings and twin tails. The most interesting part is at the back: a section attached to the tail carrying deployed solar arrays. Analysts read it either as a service module or as a separate satellite docked to the aft end, and some details in the image appear to have been redacted.<\/p>\n\n<p>A blurrier version of the same picture first surfaced in 2024, when US Space Force Colonel John Patrick showed it at a conference in South Korea, according to The War Zone. At the time nobody would confirm whether it showed China's spaceplane or America's own X-37B. The DIA has now settled that question.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"max-width:550px;margin:0 auto 28px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?id=2115093594260349180&theme=light\" style=\"width:100%;height:520px;border:none;overflow:hidden\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Four missions, one very quiet programme<\/h2>\n\n<p>The first flight began on 4 September 2020, when a Long March 2F lifted off from Jiuquan in north-west China. The vehicle came back two days later, landing on a runway that open-source analysts link to the Lop Nur area. Xinhua called the flight an important breakthrough and said the technology could offer a more convenient and cheap way to and from space for peaceful purposes.<\/p>\n\n<p>The second mission, launched on 4 August 2022, lasted 276 days. The third began on 14 December 2023 and ended on 6 September 2024, after about 268 days in orbit by China's count. The fourth launched on 7 February 2026 and, as far as public tracking shows, the vehicle has not come home yet.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 6px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BVaCZoWTZbo\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:0 0 24px;font-style:italic\">Scott Manley walks through the newly released image of China's spaceplane and what it reveals.<\/p>\n\n<p>China has never said what the spaceplane carries. Chinese state media describe each flight only as a test of reusable spacecraft technology, and the brief launch announcements come without pictures of the vehicle itself.<\/p>\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The companion objects<\/h2>\n\n<p>What the spaceplane does in orbit is where it gets interesting. On the second mission, the tracking company LeoLabs observed repeated deployments, formation flying and docking of a sub-satellite catalogued as Object J. The DIA report describes the spaceplane manoeuvring with a companion satellite and station-keeping at around 1 km separation.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;At one point, the two objects appeared within 100 meters of one another.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>US Defense Intelligence Agency<\/strong> &mdash; Challenges to Security in Space, 2026<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<p>On the third mission, the DIA says, the spacecraft again released and interacted with an object, and trackers logged several objects released during the flight. The current mission has continued the pattern. Astronomer and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell reported that the spaceplane re-rendezvoused with its sub-satellite on 10 September 2026 and recaptured it on 13 September, based on US Space Force tracking data.<\/p>\n\n<p>Releasing, chasing and recovering a small satellite is exactly the kind of skill that matters for inspecting or servicing other spacecraft. It is also why Western defence agencies watch these flights closely. There is no public evidence that the vehicle carries weapons, and the DIA does not claim it does.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/chinese-spaceplane-dia-image-maxar-shenlong-2026-img1.jpg\" alt=\"Long March 2F rocket launching China&#x27;s reusable spaceplane from Jiuquan\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A Long March 2F lifts off from Jiuquan carrying China's reusable experimental spacecraft. Every mission has launched this way. Credit: Xinhua<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Shenlong, Tengyun and the X-37B<\/h2>\n\n<p>The DIA names two Chinese spaceplane models, Shenlong (&ldquo;Divine Dragon&rdquo;) and Tengyun, but does not say which one is in the picture. Shenlong is the name most often attached to the orbital vehicle, but China has never confirmed it. Tengyun is a different concept, a two-stage system that would launch from a carrier aircraft.<\/p>\n\n<p>The obvious comparison is the US Space Force's X-37B, which has flown since 2010 and has its own add-on service module at the tail. The two vehicles look similar at a glance, but The War Zone notes that the Chinese design has wings with a much longer chord. Both are uncrewed, both land on runways, and both have owners who would rather talk about anything else.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/chinese-spaceplane-dia-image-maxar-shenlong-2026-img2.jpg\" alt=\"US Space Force X-37B spaceplane on the runway with its service module\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The US Space Force X-37B after its sixth mission in November 2022, the first to carry a service module at the tail. Credit: U.S. Space Force \/ Staff Sgt. Adam Shanks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>The X-37B's eighth mission has been in orbit since August 2025. China's spaceplane has been up since February. For the first time, the public can at least see what one of them looks like up there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sources: US Defense Intelligence Agency (Challenges to Security in Space, 2026), The War Zone, The Aviationist, Popular Science, Xinhua, The Standard, CNBC, LeoLabs, Jonathan McDowell<\/em><\/p>\n\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\n\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\n\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\n\n\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\n\n\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What does the DIA image of the Chinese spaceplane show?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The image, taken by a Maxar satellite in 2024 and published by the US Defense Intelligence Agency on 26 October 2026, shows China's reusable spaceplane in orbit with its payload bay doors open, a section attached to the tail and solar arrays deployed on both sides. The War Zone reports Vantor dated it to 28 May 2024.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How many missions has the Chinese spaceplane flown?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Chinese spaceplane has flown four missions, all launched by Long March 2F rockets from Jiuquan. The first, in September 2020, lasted two days. The second, from August 2022, lasted 276 days. The third ran from December 2023 to September 2024. The fourth launched on 7 February 2026 and was still in orbit in late October.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Is the Chinese spaceplane called Shenlong?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Shenlong, meaning Divine Dragon, is the name most often linked to China's orbital spaceplane, but China has never confirmed it. The US Defense Intelligence Agency says China has two primary spaceplane models, Shenlong and Tengyun, and does not say which one appears in its 2024 Maxar image of the vehicle in orbit.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What does the Chinese spaceplane do in orbit?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">China has never said what the spaceplane carries. On its missions it has released small objects and operated near them. On the second mission it flew with a companion satellite, at one point within 100 metres according to the DIA, and in September 2026 Jonathan McDowell reported it recaptured a sub-satellite. There is no public evidence it carries weapons.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How does the Chinese spaceplane compare with the X-37B?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Both are uncrewed, reusable, runway-landing spaceplanes with an add-on module at the tail. The US Space Force's X-37B has flown since 2010 and began its eighth mission in August 2025. The War Zone notes that the Chinese vehicle's wings have a much longer chord. Both programmes keep their payloads secret.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What does China say about its reusable spaceplane?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">China says very little. After the first flight in 2020, Xinhua called it an important breakthrough and said the technology could offer a more convenient and cheap way to and from space for peaceful purposes. State media describe each flight as a test of reusable spacecraft technology and say little else, which is why the 2024 Maxar image released by the DIA attracted so much attention.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What does the DIA image of the Chinese spaceplane show?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The image, taken by a Maxar satellite in 2024 and published by the US Defense Intelligence Agency on 26 October 2026, shows China's reusable spaceplane in orbit with its payload bay doors open, a section attached to the tail and solar arrays deployed on both sides. 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The US Defense Intelligence Agency says China has two primary spaceplane models, Shenlong and Tengyun, and does not say which one appears in its 2024 Maxar image of the vehicle in orbit.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What does the Chinese spaceplane do in orbit?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"China has never said what the spaceplane carries. On its missions it has released small objects and operated near them. On the second mission it flew with a companion satellite, at one point within 100 metres according to the DIA, and in September 2026 Jonathan McDowell reported it recaptured a sub-satellite. There is no public evidence it carries weapons.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How does the Chinese spaceplane compare with the X-37B?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Both are uncrewed, reusable, runway-landing spaceplanes with an add-on module at the tail. 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State media describe each flight as a test of reusable spacecraft technology and say little else, which is why the 2024 Maxar image released by the DIA attracted so much attention.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/x-37b-space-force-mystery-spaceplane\/\">The Space Force\u2019s Mystery Spaceplane<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/x-20-dyna-soar-spaceplane-cancelled-1963\/\">The Space Bomber That Never Flew<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/mig-105-spiral-epos-soviet-spaceplane\/\">The Soviet Spaceplane They Called the Wooden Shoe<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Share this story For six years, China&#8217;s reusable spaceplane has been one of spaceflight&#8217;s best-kept secrets. It launches on a rocket, stays in orbit for months, releases small objects, lands on a runway in the desert, and Beijing says almost nothing about any of it. Now the US Defense Intelligence Agency has published the best [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":30105506,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30106759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Chinese Spaceplane: DIA Releases Clearest Image | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The US DIA has published the clearest image yet of the Chinese spaceplane in orbit, taken by Maxar in 2024. 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