China Aerospace Space Defense & Militarization

U.S. intelligence report publishes a sharp orbital image of China’s secretive X-37B-like spaceplane

A Maxar satellite captured China’s spaceplane in orbit, with imagery showing upward-opening doors over a central payload bay and solar panels deployed from a tail extension. The image, published in a U.S. intelligence report, offers a clearer public view of a program that China has pursued under tight secrecy since 2020.

Discovered 2026-10-28T00:15:36.397933-07:00 | 2026-10-28T00:15:36.397933-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

The imagery provides new public evidence of the spaceplane’s configuration, including its payload bay and deployed solar panels, adding observable detail to a highly secretive Chinese program.
The report brings attention to an orbital vehicle with potential defense relevance; the articles do not establish its mission or operational capabilities.

Reported By

SpaceNews.com heise.de Leonard David interestingengineering.com