China's top-secret spaceplane can't hide in low-Earth orbit

Key Points:

• A Chinese winged spacecraft resembling the US X-37B spaceplane was photographed in orbit in 2024 by a US-owned commercial satellite, revealing design similarities such as delta wings and payload bay doors.
• China has launched four spaceplane missions since 2020, with the current mission ongoing since February 2024; these vehicles operate in low-Earth orbit and can autonomously land and be reused, similar to the US X-37B.
• The Chinese spaceplane has demonstrated capabilities such as deploying and recapturing small satellites in orbit, indicating advanced maneuverability and potential for complex space operations.
• The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) highlighted China’s development of counterspace weapons, including ground-based and potentially space-based directed-energy weapons aimed at disabling satellites.
• Russia and the US are also advancing orbital military capabilities, with Russia testing satellite projectile weapons and the US acknowledging possession of weapons in space, marking an intensifying militarization of space.