The third flight of Shenlong, a Chinese space plane often compared to the US military space plane X-37B, launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert on December 14, 2023. However, since its release, the space plane has not made any maneuvers and it is possible that it is simply an inert piece of hardware. This was confirmed by Scott Tilley, a Canada-based amateur astronomer who assisted NASA in finding one of its lost satellites.
Despite limited information about its size and capabilities, Shenlong’s first mission lasted only two days while the second mission launched in August 2022 and lasted for nine months. During this time, a subsatellite was reportedly ejected and recaptured by Shenlong multiple times to test related technologies. After the third launch in December, reports suggested that Shenlong released at least five objects into low-Earth orbit. However, these objects were likely debris from the Long March rocket that initially launched Shenlong and most of them have probably re-entered Earth’s atmosphere by now.
The current status of Shenlong’s third mission remains relatively unknown with reports only confirming that it raised its orbit from around 300km to 600km in late January. Chinese space authorities have not disclosed details about the mission or when it will return. A brief report released by state media after the launch stated that Shenlong will operate in orbit for a period of time before returning to China for landing. The mission aims to conduct reusable technology verification and space science experiments to support the peaceful use of space.
