(Image credit: LeoLabs)
Posted on 06/28/2026 8:18:21 AM PDT by BenLurkin
The Shenlong, or "divine dragon," space plane is a reusable, robotic spacecraft that China has repeatedly launched into low Earth orbit (LEO) on board vertical rockets, before reentering the atmosphere for a horizontal runway landing — similar to the iconic spacecraft from NASA's now-defunct Space Shuttle program.
The space plane has never been photographed by outside nations, so we have no clear idea what it looks like or how large it is.
Shenlong first launched into space on a two-day mission in September 2020, before completing an eight-month stint in LEO between August 2022 and May 2023, and a nine-month spaceflight between December 2023 and September 2024. It released its first payload shortly after the launch of its second mission and deployed seven more objects during its third mission, six of which were ejected simultaneously.
The space plane's fourth and ongoing mission began on Feb. 7 when it launched atop a Long March 2F rocket that lifted off from China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, according to Live Science's sister site Space.com. And to date, there has [sic] been no news of its current activities.
(Image credit: LeoLabs)
But on June 22, the private space surveillance firm LeoLabs, which specializes in tracking spacecraft in LEO, detected "an unknown object in the vicinity [of the spaceplane]," according to a post on X. The mystery payload was initially picked up by one of the company's radars in New Zealand and did not match any other object in the company's catalog.
Later on the same day, LeoLabs representatives added in an update to the post that, following additional observations from across the company's radar network, they had "independently cataloged this object and assessed with high confidence that it was released from the Chinese space plane."
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
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“The space plane has never been photographed by outside nations, so we have no clear idea what it looks like or how large it is. “
Want to bet?
NOT a good idea to bet against the United States of America....
Maybe it’s the Top-Sekrit® CCP Mind-Control Satellite. :P
Watched this on TV last night:
The CIA “Bone Conduction” Pipe: During the Cold War, the CIA designed a tobacco pipe that concealed a subminiature radio receiver. The user could hear the intercepted signal by biting down on the pipe, utilizing bone conduction to transmit sound from the jaw to the inner ear. It was used by covert agents to receive one-way transmissions safely.
Their secret weapon, the Schlong, is a divine dragon.
Are we being played here? :/
“Are we being played here?”
Think of it this way:
This thing has had recorded launches for 6 years.
We have satellite cameras incredibly advanced, capable of resolving details as small as 10 to 30 centimeters (4 to 12 inches) per pixel from hundreds of miles in orbit. They easily identify vehicles, road markings, and building features.
Yet in 6 years of recorded launches and knowing where they landed and how, we can’t get one recorded picture of one? You have every reason to be a bit skeptical citizen.
wy69
“Are we being played here?”
Think of it this way:
This thing has had recorded launches for 6 years.
We have satellite cameras incredibly advanced, capable of resolving details as small as 10 to 30 centimeters (4 to 12 inches) per pixel from hundreds of miles in orbit. They easily identify vehicles, road markings, and building features.
Yet in 6 years of recorded launches and knowing where they landed and how, we can’t get one recorded picture of one? You have every reason to be a bit skeptical citizen.
wy69
I can guarantee that the US has everything they want to know about it, both from ground intel and space intel. I’ve worked in both sides, ground and space based sensor systems.
By “we”, Live Science means the press.
We as in spy agencies, the military and US government? Not “we” the press is part of.
Yep, we have the photos.
Ground based telescopes were used to examine Space Shuttle tiles while in orbit.
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