Space.comMike Wall

China’s Shenlong spaceplane completes fourth flight — what the mission reveals about Beijing’s spaceplane capabilities

China’s Shenlong experimental spaceplane completed a fourth flight, offering new—but inconclusive—clues about Beijing’s reusable, hypersonic and orbital test capabilities. Analysts say the mission’s trajectory, duration and recovered hardware suggest maturation of spaceplane technology and potential dual-use applications, though definitive roles remain unconfirmed.

2026-02-23T11:10:58.212828-08:00