China’s Experimental Spaceplane Resembles America’s X-37B
China’s experimental spaceplane is drawing fresh attention after a newly released U.S. intelligence image showed a vehicle with a striking resemblance to the U.S. Space Force’s X-37B. The image was first cited by defense news outlet TWZ and appears in the Defense Intelligence Agency’s latest report on space domain security challenges.
The comparison is hard to miss. The Chinese vehicle is described as a tiny, shuttle-like craft with small wings, twin vertical tails, an open payload bay, and solar panels extending from the rear. Those features closely resemble the basic design of the Boeing X-37B, a reusable U.S. spaceplane operated by the Space Force.
Maxar Technologies, now known as Vantor, captured the image through its WorldView-3 satellite on May 28, 2024. The satellite was less than 56 miles from the vehicle when the picture was taken, according to Vantor’s comments to TWZ. That close-range view revealed more than the craft’s outline. It also showed hardware attached to the back and the condition of the payload bay.
Vantor told the outlet, “There is a separate satellite docked to the aft section of the vehicle whose structure and solar arrays are visible,” and added, “The spacecraft’s payload bay doors are visibly open.”
China is understood to have conducted four orbital missions using the same spaceplane since 2020. The latest launch was on February 7. The available report does not identify which specific Chinese model appears in the image.
The DIA report says, “China has two primary spaceplane models: the Shenlong and Tengyun,” but it does not specify whether the pictured vehicle is one or the other. That leaves an important detail unresolved while making the broader similarity to the American spacecraft even more noticeable.
The report also outlines why reusable spaceplanes matter in the growing competition over space technology. It says, “spaceplanes are … reusable and feature enhanced maneuverability, making them more suitable for certain missions than traditional satellites,” while noting that their design can offer capabilities that conventional satellites do not.
Reusable technology is not simple or cheap to develop. The DIA report states, “Reusable technologies, while even more difficult and expensive to develop and build, stand to greatly reduce the cost of spaceflight by recovering, refurbishing, and reusing rocket stages, fairings, and capsules.”
That combination of maneuverability and reusability helps explain why spaceplane technology matters in the broader competition over space capabilities. A vehicle that can return, be refurbished, and fly again could support missions that would be harder or more expensive with traditional hardware.
The obvious question is why China’s design looks so similar to the X-37B. The source article points to a 2014 NBC News report as possible context, but the details of that report are not included in the available material. For now, the satellite image offers a clear look at China’s vehicle while leaving the question of how the resemblance came about unanswered.
Source: The Liberty Daily