"China's Space Ambitions Soar: From Satellites to Space Planes"

The Chinese Space Plane, Shenlong, has begun its third orbital mission, with no indication of how long it will remain in orbit. The spacecraft is similar in size to the American X-37B and is expected to be useful for up to 20 launches. The X-37B, developed by NASA and now operated by the U.S. Air Force, has completed multiple secretive orbital missions, testing new technologies and releasing small satellites. Both the Chinese and American spaceplanes have raised speculation about their activities in orbit, including the potential use of unregistered cubesats for testing new anti-satellite weapons.