Pentagon releases spaceplane photo

A commercial satellite owned by Maxar photographed China's winged spaceplane in orbit during 2024. The Pentagon released the high-resolution image Monday in an unclassified Defense Intelligence Agency assessment.

Design mirrors US X-37B closely

China's spaceplane has delta wings, payload bay doors, a dark heat shield, and a rear-mounted service module with solar arrays. The design is, to a great degree, a copy of the US Space Force's X-37B.

Four missions since 2020

China has launched four spaceplane missions since 2020, with durations of up to nine months. The fourth mission is in orbit today after launching in February.

How the spaceplane operates

Like the X-37B, China's spaceplane lifts off inside a rocket's payload shroud, then operates as a satellite in orbit. It reenters the atmosphere for an autonomous runway landing at mission's end.

Demonstrated object capture in orbit

China's spaceplane released a sub-satellite in June and recaptured it in July, then repeated the process in August and September, according to orbital tracking data analysis by astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell.

Commercial satellites now spy on space

Maxar's observation used non-Earth imaging, an emerging field where commercial operators inspect satellites in orbit. This capability extends a new avenue for international and corporate espionage to the high frontier.

China pursues anti-satellite weapons

The Defense Intelligence Agency reported China has multiple ground-based laser weapons to disrupt, degrade, or damage satellites in low-Earth orbit. By the late twenty twenty-twenties, China may field space-based directed energy systems.

“China has multiple ground-based laser weapons with varying power levels to disrupt, degrade, or damage satellites in LEO.”

China achieved orbital refueling first

China demonstrated satellite refueling in geosynchronous orbit, some twenty-two thousand miles over the equator, something no other country has achieved above low-Earth orbit. China also tested a robotic arm to snag spacecraft.

US and Russia develop orbital weapons

Air Force Secretary Troy Meink revealed the Pentagon has fielded weapons in space, making the United States the first nation to acknowledge possession of orbital weapons. Russia is pursuing its own orbital combat program.

Russia tested anti-satellite system

Russia's Nivelir system is designed to fire projectiles from one satellite to smash into another. The Russian military simulated an attack using Nivelir in twenty twenty.