US military reveals a clear image of China’s secretive spaceplane

Editor's note: this story was translated from the original VOA Mandarin article.

The U.S. military has released a clear image showing China's secretive reusable spaceplane docked with a satellite in orbit.

The 2024 photo image appears in the latest edition of Challenges to Security in Space published recently by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). The unclassified report assesses “adversary threats” in space, detailing space-related goals and activities of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

The image was taken by Vantor (formerly Maxar), a private U.S. satellite and space intelligence firm. It shows an unmanned Chinese spaceplane rendezvousing with a satellite. The satellite has its solar panels deployed, and the spaceplane payload bay doors are open.

Dragon revealed

The DIA included the image in a section of the report which discusses reusable space launch vehicles (R-SLVs).

The report notes that the United States is currently the only nation with an operational R-SLV program, while China is seeking to become the second one.

The report says that in addition to working on reusable space rockets, Beijing is also developing spaceplanes, which offer similar reusability with enhanced maneuverability.

"China has two primary spaceplane models according to the report: the Shenlong and Tengyun," which translate to "Divine Dragon," and "Cloud Rider," respectively.

The report, released Oct. 26, describes three Chinese spaceplane missions. The first, in 2020, lasted two days. The second, launched in August 2022, spent 276 days in orbit, and the third, launched in December 2023, spent 268 days in orbit. More recently, Chinese state media reported a fourth launch in February.

The DIA report does not specify whether the spaceplane is a Shenlong or a Tengyun. Past Chinese official media reports about these missions only vaguely alluded to “a reusable experimental spacecraft”. However, it is widely believed that the spaceplane, which is vertically launched by a Long March rocket, is the reusable, uncrewed spaceplane Shenlong. The Tengyun which uses the newer horizontal launch technologies as described by Chinese official accounts, is at a more experimental stage.

Some observers have compared the Shenlong to the X-37B, an autonomous and reusable uncrewed spaceplane developed by Boeing for the U.S. Space Force.

A striking image

David Shedd, former acting director of the DIA, told VOA the spaceplane image is “big news."

“DIA’s published picture is a striking image as it underscores that China is actively looking to both enhance its offensive and defensive posture in space,” he said in an emailed statement.

“These advances by the PRC (People's Republic of China) in space remind us that the U.S. must continue to actively work to counter the significant and advancement of Chinese capabilities in space that could and actually will threaten America's satellite constellations in both the defense and commercial arena," Shedd told VOA.

“Malign efforts” of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea

In its report, the DIA, an agency under the U.S. Department of War, outlines various threats in space that endanger the defense of the United States and its allies.

The report named China and three other countries which “have exhibited behaviors that often run counter to a safe, secure, and sustainable space domain”.

"China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are developing, testing, deploying, and using space capabilities in a way that threatens the security of all space systems and their associated space benefits,” the report states.

The report further notes that "the malign efforts" of China, Russia, and what it terms "emerging space powers" Iran and North Korea have extended beyond the development of new technologies into the diplomatic and economic arenas.

The Chinese government has not specifically responded to the new DIA report. Beijing has claimed that China opposes weaponization of outer space.

Spearheaded by Beijing and Moscow, the United Nations passed two resolutions in December 2025 ostensibly aimed at preventing arms race and forbidding first placement of weapons in outer space. The DIA report described these as “unverifiable international space treaties and commitments”, which have not stopped the “dangerous or ambiguous behavior on-orbit” by China and Russia.

The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency first released its Challenges to Security in Space report in early 2019 and issued an update in 2022. This year’s report marks the third edition.

VOA Mandarin’s Yu-wen Cheng contributed to this report.