{"id":23464,"date":"2026-10-30T03:46:57","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T03:46:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=23464"},"modified":"2026-10-30T03:46:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T03:46:57","slug":"chinas-shenlong-spaceplane-appears-in-sharpest-photo-from-us-intelligence-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=23464","title":{"rendered":"China&#8217;s Shenlong Spaceplane Appears in Sharpest Photo From US Intelligence Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 300px 160px; gap: 2px; width: 460px; background: #eee; padding: 2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u6574\u884c\u5bbd\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876674\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 90px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876676\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u5de6\u4fa7\u7ad6\u6392 -->\r\n  <div style=\"height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876672\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"height: 500px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876680\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u6469\u5929\u697c\uff08\u548c\u5de6\u4fa7\u5b8c\u5168\u5bf9\u9f50\uff09 -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row: 3\/5; height: 750px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876678\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  \r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e6\" data-zoneid=\"5876682\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.techeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/29104706\/china-spaceplane-shenlong-photo.jpg\" alt=\"China Spaceplane Shenlong Photo\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\"\/><br \/><span><strong>Photo credit<\/strong>: Maxar Technologies | DIA<\/span><br \/>A commercial imaging satellite snapped China\u2019s secretive reusable spaceplane from about 56 miles away in 2024, and the Defense Intelligence Agency included that view in an unclassified report released late last month. The picture shows a compact winged vehicle with its payload bay doors open and solar arrays stretched out from a rear service module, the whole assembly hanging against the black of space. Resolution reaches roughly 1.8 inches per pixel, clear enough to resolve panel lines and the shape of the delta wings. Earlier public images had been grainy telescope shots or brief lower-resolution frames; this one gives the first detailed public look at the underside and how the power systems are arranged.<\/p>\n<p><span id=\"more-262390\"\/><br \/><iframe title=\"China\u2019s top secret space plane revealed in rare unclassified image\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/I8HNG0xmuR0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>For years, people have referred to the spacecraft as Shenlong, or Divine Dragon, despite the fact that China only calls it as a reusable, experimental vehicle testing technology that allows for easier and less expensive return journeys into space. They launch it from Jiuquan on a Long March 2F rocket, then it separates in orbit and returns on its own to land on a desolate airport near Lop Nur, as there is a runway in the desert. The first flight took place in September 2020, and it confirmed that their basic recuperation mechanism worked after two days. They launched another one in mid-August 2022 for 276 days, releasing at least one item and maybe others that were not tracked. Then, in December 2023, they launched one that lasted approximately 268 days until landing in September 2024; the new photo was taken at some point during that time and shows the DIA noting that the vehicle released some sort of object and interacted with it while in orbit.<\/p>\n<div class=\"aawp\">\n<div class=\"aawp-product aawp-product--horizontal\" data-aawp-product-asin=\"B0DRW65V3V\" data-aawp-product-id=\"267299\" data-aawp-tracking-id=\"tec02e-20\" data-aawp-product-title=\"LEGO Icons Shuttle Carrier Aircraft Building Set for Adults - Spaceship &amp; Airplane Model Kit for Adults Ages 18+ - Air &amp; Space Decor - Gift for Birthdays - 10360\">\n<div class=\"aawp-product__thumb\">\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aawp-product__image\" src=\"https:\/\/m.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/41emUr6LJRL._SL160_.jpg\" alt=\"LEGO Icons Shuttle Carrier Aircraft Building Set for Adults - Spaceship &amp; Airplane Model Kit for Adults...\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"aawp-product__content\">\n<p>            LEGO Icons Shuttle Carrier Aircraft Building Set for Adults &#8211; Spaceship &amp; Airplane Model Kit for Adults&#8230;        <\/p>\n<div class=\"aawp-product__description\">\n<ul>\n<li>2 AVIATION LEGENDS, 1 BUILD \u2013 Recreate the iconic Boeing 747 and NASA Space Shuttle Enterprise with the LEGO Icons Shuttle Carrier Aircraft&#8230;<\/li>\n<li>DEPLOY LANDING GEAR \u2013 Turn the dial to extend the massive 18-wheel landing system on your airplane model, just like real flight operations<\/li>\n<li>AUTHENTIC FEATURES &amp; DETAILS \u2013 Remove the tail cone, engines, and landing gear from the NASA shuttle and stow them in the cargo bay during flight<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\nThe fourth mission launched in early February 2026 and is still in space as of late October. According to tracking data, this one has launched some small things and even shortened the distance between them, sometimes approaching within a few hundred meters. When examining at the orbital record, including Jonathan McDowell, there are indications that the craft has performed multiple release and recapture procedures and may have a robotic arm. China has disclosed very little about what is going on here, except that they are testing reusable systems for peaceful purposes. The DIA report cites station-keeping at 1 kilometer distances and closer approaches, but it doesn\u2019t say much about potential weapon uses.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"The Secretive U.S. Space Plane China Is Racing to Compete With\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pXyIT_GWIYE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>For those who have been following this story, you\u2019ll notice that the Chinese vehicle bears some striking similarities to the US Space Force X-37B; both are unmanned, launch vertically, operate for months with an open bay, and then return to land on the runway. The Chinese craft has solar panels on the back of the aft module rather than the top, and its wings are somewhat longer from leading to trailing edge. The DIA identifies both Shenlong and Tengyun as Chinese spaceplane models, but they are unable to determine which is the one in the 2024 photograph. According to previous reports, the vehicle will be little more than 29 feet long with a wingspan of around 15 feet, making it large enough to carry tiny satellites or experiment packages that can be released and recovered.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.techeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/29104657\/china-spaceplane-shenlong-photo-1.jpg\" alt=\"China Spaceplane Shenlong Photo\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\"\/><br \/>Low Earth orbit isn\u2019t the best spot for privacy, since once you have a series of commercial satellites shooting sideways images, it\u2019s difficult to keep anything secret. When objects cross paths in orbit, the WorldView-3, which is now part of Vantor, can detect a wide range of small details. Ground-based fans have attempted to photograph the object before, and a US Space Force officer even mentioned it at a 2024 conference in South Korea, but the full resolution image remained concealed inside the DIA until it was included in the public report on page 53. Beijing remains tight-lipped about this, so the best perspective we have is still from an American commercial satellite.<br \/><span>[Source]<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- \u603b\u5bb9\u5668\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u5bbd908px Grid\u7d27\u51d1\u5e03\u5c40 -->\r\n<div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 728px 160px; gap:2px; width:908px; background:#eee; padding:2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u901a\u680f\u9876\u90e8\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u6a2a\u5e45 908x258 \u8de8\u6574\u884c -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; height:258px; background:#ff6b6b; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114307\" data-width=\"908\" data-height=\"258\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114307});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u7b2c\u4e8c\u901a\u680f\uff1a728\u00d790 \u901a\u680f -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; 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display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114302\" data-width=\"133\" data-height=\"139\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114302});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n    <div style=\"height:125px; background:#91e7ac; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t\r\n<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114303\" data-width=\"125\" data-height=\"125\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114303});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u7ad6\u680f\uff1a160\u00d7600 \u6574\u5217\u9ad8\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row:3\/8; height:600px;  display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114301\" data-width=\"160\" data-height=\"600\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114301});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<br \/> China&#8217;s Shenlong Spaceplane Appears in Sharpest Photo From US Intelligence Report<br \/>\n<br \/>#Chinas #Shenlong #Spaceplane #Appears #Sharpest #Photo #Intelligence #Report<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Photo credit: Maxar Technologies | DIAA commercial imaging satellite snapped China\u2019s secretive reusable spaceplane from&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23465,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[554,4555,6371,5353,935,14309,17096,17097],"class_list":["post-23464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech","tag-appears","tag-chinas","tag-intelligence","tag-photo","tag-report","tag-sharpest","tag-shenlong","tag-spaceplane"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/china-spaceplane-shenlong-photo.jpg",1280,853,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/china-spaceplane-shenlong-photo-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/china-spaceplane-shenlong-photo-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/china-spaceplane-shenlong-photo-768x512.jpg",640,427,true],"large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/china-spaceplane-shenlong-photo-1024x682.jpg",640,426,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/china-spaceplane-shenlong-photo.jpg",1280,853,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/china-spaceplane-shenlong-photo.jpg",1280,853,false],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/china-spaceplane-shenlong-photo-1115x715.jpg",1115,715,true],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/china-spaceplane-shenlong-photo-800x500.jpg",800,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/china-spaceplane-shenlong-photo-1024x682.jpg",1024,682,true],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/china-spaceplane-shenlong-photo-540x340.jpg",540,340,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/china-spaceplane-shenlong-photo-400x250.jpg",400,250,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?author=1"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?cat=8\" rel=\"category\">Tech<\/a>","tag_info":"Tech","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23464"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23464\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}