DIA Releases Clearest Image of China’s Reusable Spaceplane with Service Module Attached

Key Points:

• The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) released a 2024 Maxar Technologies image of China’s secretive reusable spaceplane, showing the spacecraft in orbit with its service module attached during its third mission.
• Since September 2020, China’s reusable spaceplane has completed four orbital missions, with the second and third missions involving prolonged orbit durations and observed rendezvous and proximity operations with other objects.
• The spacecraft's design and operations suggest capabilities for satellite deployment, inspection, and possible capture or docking maneuvers, though its exact military role and payload remain undisclosed.
• The DIA report places the spaceplane within the broader context of strategic space capabilities and threats posed by China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, highlighting concerns about contested space operations.
• While China asserts the spacecraft’s purpose as peaceful technology verification and in-orbit servicing, analysts note its potential for military applications including reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, and possibly offensive space operations.