Chinese Spaceplane Spotted in Orbit, Mirrors X-37B Design

A commercial satellite operated by Vantor (known as Maxar in 2024) captured imagery of a Chinese spaceplane in orbit in 2024. The spacecraft’s design—featuring delta wings, payload bay doors, a dark heat shield, and a rear-mounted service module with solar arrays—closely parallels the X-37B spaceplane operated by the US Space Force. The company provides reconnaissance imagery to US military and intelligence agencies and can also target orbital objects with its imaging capabilities.

A US Space Force official initially disclosed the observation at a 2024 South Korea conference, though lower-resolution views had been publicly available beforehand. The full-resolution photograph entered the public record Monday through a Defense Intelligence Agency unclassified threat assessment. China has launched four spaceplane missions since 2020, with durations reaching nine months, and the fourth mission remains in orbit following a February launch. The US Space Force operates two X-37Bs in rotation across eight total missions, with the longest lasting two-and-a-half years. While officials have released design information and disclosed select experiments, most X-37B activities in space remain classified.