China’s secretive spaceplane has recently captured international attention after being observed releasing and retrieving an object during its third mission, raising questions about its capabilities and purpose.

During its third mission in June, the spacecraft was seen releasing an object, moving several kilometers away, and then returning to within a few hundred meters of it, Reuters reported.

According to Marco Langbroek, who lectures on optical space situational awareness at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, the spacecraft likely has military uses, including inspecting or disabling enemy objects.

“But it also has non-military applications. Gaining experience with this kind of grab and release is good if you want to for instance … refuel your own satellites,” Langbroek said.

Furthermore, Langbroek and three other experts noted that a reusable spacecraft capable of interfering with complex satellite networks would be of significant value as militaries worldwide advance these systems. 

Spaceplane technologies raise concerns amid US and Russian advancements

China has not disclosed the technologies tested on the spacecraft, nor has the spaceplane been publicly photographed since it started operating.

Notably, the US first launched its uncrewed Boeing X-37B spaceplane in 2010. Meanwhile, Russia has recently launched several satellites suspected by US officials to have military capabilities.

Victoria Samson, chief director of space security and stability at the Secure World Foundation think tank in Washington, DC, believes China’s spaceplane is likely testing technology similar to the X-37B.

“I don’t think that either has a whole lot of military utility, to be honest. I am guessing that both are technology demonstrators,” Samson noted.

General Stephen Whiting, commander of US Space Command, acknowledges the significance of China’s advancements in space technology. He notes that his organization is unaware of the specific objects released by the spaceplane.

“Any space activity that they undertake, we assume has some dual use in the national security realm. We’re always interested in understanding what could that dual use be, and trying to make sure that we have a good knowledge of that,” Whiting remarked.

China’s spaceplane remains shrouded in mystery

Although little is known about China’s spaceplane, tracking data shows it launches from Jiuquan in north-central China and lands at an airfield in Lop Nur, Xinjiang.

Chinese state media has often described the spaceplane as a “reusable test spacecraft.” The state media outlet Xinhua has reported on the launches and landings of the vehicle, emphasizing its potential for future technological development.

It is believed that China’s spaceplane is roughly the same size and shape as the X-37B, which measures about 30 feet (9.14 meters) in length and has spent up to 908 days in orbit at altitudes of 38,000 km.

Considering its extended time in space, China’s spaceplane is also assumed to be uncrewed, although it has flown atop the Long March 2F, China’s only human-rated booster.

China’s spaceplane experiments with releasing and retrieving objects are similar to those conducted by the US X-37B, which Boeing describes as classified missions focused on exploring reusable vehicle technologies and taking experiments to space and back.