The Enigma of Shenlong: The Chinese Space Plane that Hasn’t Manned Any Significant Maneuvers Since Launch

The third flight of Shenlong, a Chinese space plane, took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre on December 14, 2023. Despite its release, the spacecraft has not made any significant maneuvers since then. An astronomer at Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics, Jonathan McDowell, speculated that it may simply be an inert piece of hardware. Amateur astronomer Scott Tilley, who has helped NASA find lost satellites in the past, also confirmed that no new signals had been emitted by either the object or the plane since its release.

Unlike its US military counterpart X-37B, little information has been released about Shenlong’s capabilities and size. The maiden flight of Shenlong in 2020 lasted just two days while its second mission in August 2022 lasted nine months during which a subsatellite was ejected and recaptured multiple times to test related technologies.

Following the third launch of Shenlong in December, space activity trackers reported that at least five objects were released into low-Earth orbit, two of which emitted radio signals similar to those of the plane. However, it was later determined that these objects were likely debris from the Long March rocket that launched Shenlong into orbit. Despite a lack of information about this mission, it is known that the spacecraft raised its orbit from around 300km to 600km in late January and currently remains at this altitude.

Chinese space authorities have not disclosed details about Shenlong’s latest mission or return date. A brief report released by state media after the launch mentioned that it would operate in orbit for some time before returning to its intended landing site in China and would focus on reusable technology verification and space science experiments to support peaceful use of space.