A newly released US intelligence assessment has provided the clearest public view yet of China’s highly secretive Shenlong spaceplane.

The robotic spacecraft, whose name means “divine dragon,” has previously attracted attention after apparently deploying unidentified objects while operating in low-Earth orbit.

Since Shenlong completed its first mission in 2020, the vehicle has been closely monitored by governments, national space agencies and commercial satellite operators.

Until now, however, observers had seen little more than an indistinct image showing sunlight glinting from the spacecraft’s surfaces.

The first detailed photograph appears in the Defence Intelligence Agency’s latest Challenges to Security in Space report.

Tucked inside the 130-page publication is an image taken in 2024 by Maxar Technologies, now known as Vantor, showing the Chinese spaceplane in orbit.

The report labels it simply as a “PRC [People’s Republic of China] Spaceplane” and explains that such vehicles can reach orbit, deploy or evaluate objects in space, and then return to Earth.

Neither the document nor its caption identifies the photograph as the first clear image of Shenlong or explains why a previously unavailable view has now been made public.

Like the former US space shuttle, Shenlong is carried into the sky on a rocket before operating in orbit and making a runway-style landing.

Its latest known flight started on February 7 this year, when the craft was launched aboard a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China.

Beijing has disclosed very little about the experimental vehicle and has never published an official photograph of the spaceplane.

As a result, the newly surfaced image gives the public an unusually valuable opportunity to study Shenlong’s design and consider what roles it may be capable of performing.

In a post on X, Vantor said the intelligence report records China’s growing activity in space, including its development of reusable spacecraft, and features the company’s WorldView Space imagery of the Chinese vehicle in orbit during 2024.

Vantor’s annotated image identifies the craft as PRC Test Spacecraft 3 and estimates its length at 26 feet, or 8 metres.

The image also appears to show the payload-bay doors partially open, while a separate satellite is attached to the back of the spaceplane.

Measuring approximately 32 feet, or 10 metres, across, the attached satellite is thought to be a service module—an apparatus that can supply a spacecraft with extra power, propulsion or other support.

Perhaps most notably, the photograph confirms what analysts had long suspected: Shenlong bears a striking resemblance to the US Space Force’s own uncrewed spaceplane.

The X-37 began as a NASA research vehicle before responsibility shifted to the Department of Defense, and it remains one of the closest American counterparts to China’s reusable orbital craft.

Since 2010, X–37B has flown seven missions and spent more than 2,000 days in space conducting secret missions.

Officially, X–37B is an ‘experimental test program to demonstrate technologies for a reliable, reusable, uncrewed space test platform for the U.S. Air Force,’ but its specific purposes are unknown.

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However, what is now abundantly clear is the remarkable similarity between the older American spaceplane and its new Chinese counterpart.

Professor Jonathan McDowell, a satellite tracking expert from Durham University Space Research Centre, told the Daily Mail: ‘The Chinese spaceplane is very similar to the X–37B, with a payload bay in the middle and a jettisonable service module with solar arrays at the back.

‘The wings are slightly different, but the overall layout, down to the tilted rear fins, says to me that some important official in China went to the space folks with a picture of the X–37B and said, “build me one of these”.’

However, despite these new images, many of the details concerning Shenlong and its functions remain unclear.

As the report notes, China has two named spaceplanes, Shenlong and Tengyun, meaning ‘cloud rider’, and it isn’t necessarily clear which this image shows.

Likewise, the DIA simply noted that China has launched three spaceplane missions, one in 2020, the second in 2022, and a third beginning in 2023.

We do not yet know whether these were all conducted by the same plane or whether China has multiple operational spaceplanes in orbit.

Most importantly, the DIA has not yet publicly speculated on what Shenlong has been doing in LEO over these years.

Previous radar tracking has captured Shenlong releasing nine unidentified payloads around Earth.

It is believed that these are small, simple satellites called cubesats, but their function remains unclear.

In 2026, Professor McDowell also observed that Shenlong appeared to release a satellite into orbit before returning to retrieve it several months later.

The new report also notes that, during its second mission in November 2022, the spaceplane came within 330ft (100m) of a smaller spacecraft, potentially capturing and re–releasing it.

‘I suspect the vehicle also has a robot arm for deploying and retrieving satellites, but that is not visible on the photo,’ Professor McDowell explains.

However, despite the alarm this incident caused, Professor McDowell believes the spaceplanes’ function is simply to ‘show they [China] can do a robotic mini shuttle’.

He adds that it would be ‘good for testing new equipment in orbit and then returning it to Earth intact for refurbishment and reuse’.

These findings come as the US warns of a rapid growth in capabilities within China’s military and civilian space program. 

Besides Shenlong, China has also revealed images of a planned cargo spaceplane called Haolong, set to serve the Tiangong Space Station.

Haolong is known to weigh around 7,000 kilograms, with a length of 32ft (10m) and a width of 24ft (8m) with its wings unfolded.

The DIA now warns that China’s ‘rapidly expanding space program’ is second only to America’s own in size and ability.

Since 2016, the number of space launches taking place each year has more than tripled from 22 to 93, and Beijing has started deploying nine times more satellites per year. 

Most worryingly, the NIA’s report warns that China sees space as a ‘strategic priority for military dominance’.

The report says: ‘China has developed and will continue to advance weapons for use against satellites in orbit to disrupt, damage, and destroy other nations’ space capabilities.

‘China continues to research, develop, test, and deploy multiple types of counterspace weapons, including ground-based ASAT missile systems capable of destroying satellites.’

Despite decades of international consensus that space was off limits for direct military action, multiple nations are now aiming to weaponise Earth’s orbit.

In September, US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink confirmed that the United States has ‘on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action.’

This was the first time that the US has ever confirmed it has weapons stationed in space, raising concerns over a new space arms race. 

Two college students who vanished while attempting to climb a Colorado mountain were found dead after a powerful snowstorm swept through the area, authorities said.

Jackson Donlon, 20, of New York, and 19-year-old Kaden Matsuda, both students at Colorado Mountain College in Leadville, disappeared over the weekend while climbing Ice Mountain, a peak approaching 14,000 feet. The storm reportedly left about two feet of snow across the region.

Search crews found the men near one another Wednesday in a basin on a nearby mountain, roughly half a mile from Ice Mountain, the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office said as it announced the deaths with “profound sadness.”

“Foul play is not suspected,” the sheriff’s department said. Officials added that they would not speculate about the circumstances until autopsies are complete.

“Our heart aches for Kaden and Jackson’s family and friends,” the department said.

“Although this is a gut punch, our prayers were answered that we would find Kaden and Jackson, allowing some closure for the family.”

Matsuda, an aspiring wildland firefighter from Ridgway, Colorado, and Donlon left campus Friday before beginning their trip. They were reported missing Monday after failing to return.

The students had told friends they expected to be back on campus by Sunday. Concern grew when they still had not returned by Monday.

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A storm battered the mountains during their hike, covering the area with approximately two feet of snow, according to the Colorado Sun.

Search teams used infrared-equipped drones, helicopters and K9 units in the effort. None produced a confirmed sighting of either student.

Investigators determined that neither hiker had used a cellphone in the previous 48 hours. Authorities believed the devices may have been turned off to conserve battery power.

The students’ tent was discovered Tuesday, collapsed beneath the weight of the snow. The pair, however, was nowhere to be found.

Inside the tent, investigators found sleeping bags, a camping stove and clothing.

Deputies also located Matsuda’s car. About eight inches of snow had accumulated around the vehicle, though officials noted that no snow was underneath it.

Even after those discoveries, authorities continued to hold out hope that the students might be alive.

Chaffee County Sheriff Andy Rohrich said Tuesday that he remained optimistic the students could be “hunkered down somewhere waiting to be rescued.”

He pointed to Donlon’s background and training as a prospective mountain guide as one reason he was trying to remain hopeful.

Israel’s two Arab parties could play a decisive role in determining the country’s next prime minister and government. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to block that possibility after accusing Arab polling stations of serious criminal violations during the election.

Preliminary results indicated that the two parties would win a combined 19 Knesset seats. Neither Netanyahu’s Likud-led right-wing bloc nor opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot’s centrist bloc appeared to have reached the 61 seats required to form a parliamentary majority.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu wrote on X that Israel’s election had been “stolen by Arab parties that support terrorism and the elimination of the Jewish state.” He alleged serious offenses, including bribery, threats, violence, forgery and the use of banned software to mobilize voters.

“The Likud party is transferring to the police, the Shin Bet, and the Central Elections Committee hundreds of testimonies and pieces of evidence regarding election theft in many Arab polling stations,” he wrote.

Netanyahu cited claims that thousands of envelopes containing cash and Ra’am ballot slips had been distributed, along with allegations of threats and violence against polling station workers, multiple ballots cast behind voting curtains, voting under several identities, mismatches between ballot-envelope totals and voter numbers, the use of prohibited voter-mobilization software and other violations.

“We demand from the police and the Shin Bet a thorough investigation into the election theft by the Arab parties and the full prosecution of the criminals. We demand from the Central Elections Committee an immediate response to investigate these criminal offenses that have severely damaged the integrity of the elections in Israel and the election results,” he added. 

The Joint List, one of the Arab political alliances, unites three parties: Hadash, a predominantly Arab-Jewish left-wing movement with roots in Israel’s communist tradition, and the Arab nationalist parties Ta’al and Balad. With more than 90% of ballots counted, the alliance was projected to secure 12 seats.

The United Arab List, or Ra’am, led by Mansour Abbas and affiliated with the Southern Branch of Israel’s Islamic Movement, was projected to win seven seats.

Arab citizens account for roughly 21% of Israel’s population. Voter turnout in the election reached a near-record level of between 75% and 80%.

“They are a political force to be reckoned with,” Dahlia Scheindlin, a former policy fellow at the Mitvim Institute and a senior analyst at Haaretz, told News Media.

Scheindlin said Netanyahu built his campaign around the argument that the opposition was willing to form a government reliant on Arab parties’ support. He has argued that such a government would pave the way for a Palestinian state that could become a terror state and eventually lead to Israel’s destruction.

“This is the most consistent message, and he never stopped saying it, including on election day,” she said.

According to Scheindlin, the issue became so politically sensitive that leading Zionist opposition parties promised not to cooperate with the Arab parties.

“They have sworn they would not build a coalition that depends on Arab votes, either from within the coalition or from outside it. If they receive any help, they will have to break that promise,” she added.

Scheindlin said it was not impossible, although highly unlikely, that Netanyahu could approach one of the Arab parties to discuss potential cooperation.

Dr. Arik Rudnitzky, a researcher with the Israel Democracy Institute’s Arab Society in Israel Program, said Arab parties had traditionally remained in opposition rather than joining governing coalitions.

During the governments of Yitzhak Rabin and, later, Shimon Peres in the 1990s, Arab parties provided a parliamentary safety net from outside the coalition. This enabled the government to remain in office and complete its term even after it effectively became a minority government amid opposition to the Oslo Accords, as the Haredi Shas party left the government.

“Historically, Arab parties were always in the opposition for many reasons. It was quite uncommon to believe Arab parties could [support] the government. It’s a novelty of recent years, plus the fact that their political strength in terms of the number of seats was not as significant as it is today,” Rudnitzky said.

Demographic changes alone do not explain the Arab parties’ growing political strength, Rudnitzky said; shifting voting patterns have also played a role.

“In the past, Arab voters supported both Arab and Jewish parties. In the 1980s and 1990s, approximately half voted for Jewish parties,” he continued.

Rudnitzky said historical developments, the impact of the Oslo Accords and the entry of new Arab representatives into the Knesset contributed to a gradual shift away from Jewish parties, with more Arab voters turning to Arab parties.

“Today, we can say that between 85% and 90% of Arab voters support Arab parties. This is the main reason for their increased political strength,” he added.

Any support Arab parties might provide to a prospective coalition would come in exchange for political concessions, Rudnitzky said. Their demands would likely include a government decision and a plan to combat crime in Arab communities, as well as a new socioeconomic development plan for the Arab sector involving budget allocations.

Ultimately, he said, such arrangements would involve allocating public goods and resources in exchange for political support. “There is no free lunch in politics. Every collaboration, either within a coalition or from the outside, has its political price.”

Scheindlin noted that while the Joint List would not be invited to join a governing coalition — and its members would not want to do so anyway — Mansour Abbas and his United Arab List have pursued a different, more controversial approach. The party has accepted Israel as a Jewish state and seeks to improve the lives of Arab citizens within that framework, she said.

“They are expecting equality as citizens. They accepted Israel’s identity and are willing to work within that framework to improve the lives of their citizens. They are the only ones who have a chance of being invited into a coalition, as they were in 2021,” she said.

In September, the Central Elections Committee (CEC) voted to disqualify the Joint List and the United Arab list from competing in the Oct. 27 elections. On Oct. 2, Israel’s Supreme Court overturned the CEC’s decisions against both parties.

Section 7A of the Basic Law: The Knesset bars candidates who deny Israel’s existence as a Jewish and democratic state, incite to racism, or support the armed struggle of an enemy state or terrorist organization against Israel from participating in Knesset elections.

Martin Sherman, founder and executive director of the Israel Institute for Strategic Studies, told News Media that Arab parties in Israel are essentially illegal and should be barred from participating in elections.

“They have different social agendas, perhaps, but on the political level, they all oppose Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people. One can only hope that politicians in Israel will realize that and that political ambitions and animosity toward Netanyahu will not prevail,” he said.

One former Israeli diplomat noted the irony and said it was a good teaching moment for those who don’t understand the country. “Arab Israelis voted in huge numbers and, according to the exit polls, won more Knesset seats than ever before. That is the answer to the ridiculously ignorant accusation that Israel is a supposed ‘apartheid’ state,” Shahar Azani, veteran israeli diplomat and former spokesperson of Israel’s consulate in New York, told News Media.

He added, “Arab citizens are shaping the government and taking part in the Jewish state’s democratic celebration, and we welcome it. But with great power comes great responsibility: they must now take the next step and reject the extremist positions some voiced as soon as the results came in, that would alienate them from Israel’s Jewish majority.”