So little is known about Shenlong, China’s top-secret, reusable space plane that there aren’t even publicly verifiable photos of the experimental aircraft. But that doesn’t mean expert astronomy enthusiasts can’t catch glimpses of the craft as it orbits Earth, as was recently the case for Felix Schöfbanken in Upper Austria. Based on his photos of July 30, which were first featured by Space.comSchöfbänker suspects he has identified two previously unknown features on the underside of Shenlong, possibly a pair of solar panels that supply the spacecraft with power.
Spacecraft like Shenlong are designed for multi-year unmanned space missions after hitching a ride aboard a rocket. After completing the mission, however, the vehicles can return to Earth and land on runways similar to conventional aircraft. China’s mysterious robotic vehicle has completed at least two confirmed missions since 2020, the second of which lasted 276 consecutive days in orbit above Earth. During that excursion, Shenlong deployed at least one free-flying object that experts believe was either a small satellite or an external craft designed to monitor the aircraft itself. The current mission began after launching from a Chinese space facility in the Gobi Desert on Dec. 14, 2023. Since then, it has at least seven confirmed objects with an unknown target in orbit around Earth. The new images suggest that it is getting at least some of its energy from solar panels.
Speak with Space.com on August 5, after first posting his photos on the astrophotographer website, AstrobinSchöfbänker explained that he used a telescope with a 14-inch mirror, along with several other tools that allowed him to track satellites while automatically keeping them in the center of his view. He then compiled video footage during the spaceplane’s flyby, averaging out the best frames and sharpening them to better emphasize details. But because solar panels haven’t yet been seen in any known vehicle renderings online, Schöfbänker cautions that the new features could be a little different.
“I’m not sure if it’s solar panels or other features like an antenna or something like that,” he added on Monday.
(Related: This mysterious Space Force plane has been in orbit for 900 days.)
Additional information gleaned from the data includes apparent confirmation that the spaceplane recently lowered its orbit to about 217 miles above Earth, and that it appears to be somewhere within the previously estimated 30-foot length. Although its wings aren’t visible in the grainy images, it’s still believed that Shenlong’s wingspan is at least wide enough to require small cutouts in the Chinese Long March 2F rocket used to launch it into orbit.
Shenlong isn’t the only experimental space plane currently flying secret missions above Earth. The U.S. Space Force’s X-37Bbuilt by Boeing and slightly smaller Chinese aircraft, has been working on its own efforts since its last launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on December 28, 2023. Two Boeing X-37 variants are believed to exist, and six previous missions completed so far – the last excursion lasted a total of 909 days in orbit around the Earth.
