China’s top-secret spaceplane, named Shenlong after a mythical dragon, has just released a mysterious object into orbit, and the world is on high alert. This occurred just 372 miles above Earth’s surface on May 24, and the purpose of this ejected object remains unknown.
The US Space Force is keeping a close watch on this development. Harvard astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell first spotted the object and shared his findings on social media, speculating that it could be a subsatellite or a piece of hardware jettisoned before the spaceplane completes its mission and deorbits.
McDowell pointed out that this isn’t the first time Shenlong has done something like this. On its previous mission, the spaceplane released several objects into orbit, some of which sent strong signals over North America.
China has maintained a veil of secrecy around Shenlong, only stating that the spaceplane supports the “peaceful use of space.” However, the timing of its launch has raised eyebrows. It took off just one day after the US postponed the flight of its own mysterious spaceplane, which General Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations for the US Space Force, suggested was no coincidence. According to General Saltzman, China seems to be matching the US in the timing and sequence of these launches.
Amateur astronomer Scott Tilley has been diligently tracking Shenlong since December. He observed that the spaceplane emitted signals over North America, particularly targeting a location near British Columbia, Canada. Tilley noted that the signals were only detected on specific trajectories, suggesting they were aimed at a ground station or boat in that region. This has added to the mystery and raised concerns about the object’s true purpose.
Tilley has collaborated with a Swiss group specializing in optical-band space surveillance to keep an eye on Shenlong. Their findings indicate that this Chinese spaceplane, now on its third mission since 2020, shares similarities with the US’s X-37B spaceplane. The X-37B, a Boeing-built vehicle, is roughly the size of a small bus and resembles a miniature space shuttle.
“Earlier this week, China’s top-secret spaceplane, dubbed Shenlong released six mysterious objects after reaching the Earth’s orbit for the third time in three years.
We can only hazard a guess as to what these objects — which are being tracked by the US Space Force and… pic.twitter.com/sS8eAhMLej
— Freedom Over Fear Industries (@FreedomOvrFear1) December 23, 2023
It’s designed to deploy various payloads and conduct technology experiments during long orbital flights. The latest X-37B mission, launched on December 29, 2023, is expected to last until at least June 2026, following a pattern of increasingly longer missions.
In a new twist to the growing US-China space rivalry, US military launched its secretive X-37B robot spaceplane on a possible higher-orbit mission, two weeks after Beijing blasted its own equally secretive Shenlong robot spaceplane https://t.co/ie3wLarqkK pic.twitter.com/GmrcoPNX9t
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 29, 2023
As the Shenlong spaceplane continues its mission, the object it released remains a topic of speculation. Is it a subsatellite, a piece of ejected hardware, or something else entirely? The answers are elusive, but one thing is clear: this new development adds another layer to the growing complexity of space exploration and its implications for global security.
