China’s Shenlong space plane appears to have released a mystery object while in orbit, according to a private space surveillance firm.
Shenlong launched on its fourth mission on Feb. 6, 2026 atop a Long March 2F rocket that lifted off from China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. As with previous flights, the objectives of this mission were not disclosed to the public. But according to recent observations by the commercial orbital intelligence company LeoLabs, one part of Shenlong’s latest mission appears to involve releasing an unknown object.
“At 02:30 UTC on 22 June 2026, LeoLabs detected an unknown object in the vicinity of the Chinese Shenlong reusable space plane,” LeoLabs posted to X. “This object did not correlate to any other object in our catalog. It was first observed by our Tracker radar in New Zealand.”
“Following additional observations across our global network and analysis via LeoLabs Delta, we have independently cataloged this object and assessed with high confidence that it was released from the Chinese space plane,” the company added in the post. “This activity is consistent with sub-satellite deployments conducted by the space plane in previous missions.”
Space tracker Jonathan McDowell noted on X that the object has now been catalogued by the U.S. Space Force.
Shenlong, or “Divine Dragon,” is a reusable space plane that launches atop a rocket but lands on a runway like an aircraft. Its overall design is believed to be similar to the United States Space Force’s X-37B, or somewhat like NASA’s storied space shuttle. Exact specifications are difficult to come by, given how secretive China’s space program remains about Shenlong.
Very few images exist of Shenlong, and most of what we have seen of the space plane are telescopic images of the vehicle taken from ground-based telescopes.
This isn’t the first time that Shenlong has appeared to release objects while in orbit. In June 2024, observers noticed that the space plane may have released a subsatellite or ejected an unnecessary piece of hardware as it approached the end of its mission.
Six months earlier, observers believed the space plane had ejected six objects at once, but those were later determined to be debris left over from launch.
Observers on the ground have also noticed what appear to be solar arrays extending from Shenlong, based on analysis of telescope imagery.
On previous missions, Shenlong has appeared to conduct what are known as rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO), meaning it tested the capability to maneuver close to other objects in space, according to SpaceNews.
White these RPOs can be conducted for peaceful purposes such as repairing or refueling other spacecraft, it might also be the case that space superpowers such as China and Russia are developing these capabilities to potentially tamper with adversary satellites should warfare ever make it to space. In May, two Russian satellites came within 10 feet (3 meters) of one another in orbit, following a pattern of the country testing the capabilities of these so-called “inspector” spacecraft.
There’s no reason to believe the United States isn’t developing its own RPO capabilities for similar reasons, and the nation has released official artwork suggesting as much.
