Commercial satellite image shows China's spaceplane resembling US X-37B

The short version

• A 2024 commercial satellite image shows a Chinese winged spacecraft strongly resembling the US X-37B.[Wired]
• A DIA threat assessment says China has multiple ground-based lasers able to disrupt or damage low-Earth orbit satellites.[Wired]
• China has flown four spaceplane missions since 2020, and an analysis of open-source tracking data by Jonathan McDowell reports repeated release and recapture of a sub-satellite.[Wired]
• It is not publicly known how many such spaceplanes China has, and the vehicle's official name remains unclear.[Wired]

Key facts

• A 2024 commercial satellite photographed a winged Chinese spacecraft that strongly resembles the US X-37B spaceplane.[Wired]
• China has launched four spaceplane missions since 2020, with durations of up to nine months.[Wired]
• The Space Force has two X-37Bs flying in rotation, and the longest of their eight missions to date ran two-and-a-half years from launch to landing.[Wired]
• An analysis of open-source orbital tracking data by astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell reports that the Chinese vehicle released a sub-satellite in June and recaptured it in July, then repeated the sequence in August and September.[Wired]
• The DIA said China has multiple ground-based laser weapons with varying power levels that can disrupt, degrade, or damage satellites in low-Earth orbit.[Wired]
• Chinese state media refer to the vehicle as CSSHQ, a name the Secure World Foundation says means reusable experimental spacecraft.[Wired]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• What to Know About China’s Top-Secret SpaceplaneWired metered