Raumfahrt First Clear Look: US Satellite Photographs China's Secret Spaceplane in Orbit
First Clear Look: US Satellite Photographs China's Secret Spaceplane in Orbit Published 29 October 2026 For years, China's reusable spaceplane has been one of the most closely guarded programmes in spaceflight. Now, for the first time, the public has a genuinely clear picture of it in orbit. The image comes from a commercial Earth-imaging satellite and was published in a new US intelligence assessment of space threats. Here is what the photo shows, why it matters, and what remains unknown. What was released The US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) included the photograph in its 2026 report on threats in space, published on Monday, 26 October. It appears on page 53, where the caption simply calls it a Chinese "spaceplane" without naming the vehicle. Most outlets and analysts treat it as almost certainly Shenlong ("Divine Dragon"), China's reusable orbital craft. The picture was taken in 2024 by a satellite built and operated by Maxar, the geospatial int...
