Recently, China’s mysterious spacecraft has released an unidentified flying object at an altitude of 600 km above the Earth’s surface. American experts are uncertain about the exact nature of this object, but they believe it might be a small satellite or hardware ejected before the spacecraft is expected to leave orbit.
The Shenlong spacecraft (神龙), China’s enigmatic vehicle, has launched an unidentified object into orbit, marking the seventh object launched in the past six months. The United States Space Force is monitoring the situation closely.
Illustration of China’s secret Shenlong spacecraft in orbit. (Photo: Erik Simonsen)
The United States Space Force has been tracking this spacecraft since its launch aboard a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on December 14 of last year.
Little is known about this spacecraft, although it appears similar to the Boeing spacecraft developed in the United States, which is capable of conducting extended missions in orbit.
China’s secret spacecraft first launched in 2020 and was in orbit for only two days. However, it remained in space for a total of 276 days during its second mission, which began in late 2022.
The Shenlong spacecraft (神龙) deployed six smaller objects shortly after its launch last year; each of these seems to be emitting some form of signal. So far, Chinese officials have kept details about this spacecraft and its activities confidential, not even acknowledging the nature of the mysterious objects.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military’s X-37B spacecraft is also orbiting the Earth. This vehicle was launched on December 28 of last year aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
According to Xinhua News Agency: “After operating in orbit for some time, the experimental spacecraft will return to a designated landing site in China. During this phase, it will conduct technology verification for reusable capabilities and planned space science experiments, providing technical support for the peaceful use of space.”
The reusable spacecraft has numerous potential commercial and scientific applications, including transporting passengers and launching satellites more efficiently. Nevertheless, the United States Space Force will continue to monitor the Shenlong mission until it returns to Earth.
