China's secret space plane releases mysterious object into orbit
A mysterious object was detected in orbit after being apparently released by the Chinese Shenlong reusable space plane, according to information from the specialized website Space. The detection was made by private space surveillance company LeoLabs, which monitors objects in orbit around the Earth.
According to the company, the object was identified at 2:30 am UTC on June 22 by a LeoLabs radar installed in New Zealand. After new observations and analyses, the company concluded, with a high degree of confidence, that the object was released by Shenron during its fourth space mission.
LeoLabs reported that the object did not match any previously cataloged item and stated that the activity is consistent with previous Shenron missions, in which the spacecraft would also have launched small satellites or secondary objects into orbit.
Shenron, whose name means "Divine Dragon", was launched on February 6, 2026 aboard a Long March 2F rocket, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, in the Gobi Desert. Chinese authorities have not disclosed the objectives of the mission.
Space tracking expert Jonathan McDowell said the object has also been cataloged by the United States Space Force.
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The Shenron program is surrounded by secrecy. According to information from CNN, China has never revealed which technologies are being tested by the spacecraft nor published official photographs of the vehicle since its operations began in 2020. In a video released after the landing of a previous mission in September 2024, the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation displayed only a banner with the message: "It is too advanced to be shown."
Experts believe that Shenron is a reusable space plane similar to the United States Space Force's X-37B. The spacecraft is launched by rocket and returns to Earth, landing on a runway, like a conventional plane. However, its technical characteristics and official purpose remain unknown.
Source: CNN