Shenlong

Mission Profile

Shenlong (Divine Dragon) is China's classified reusable spaceplane, analogous in concept to the US Air Force's X-37B, which conducts autonomous orbital missions of undisclosed purpose aboard Long March 2F rockets. First launched on 4 September 2020 for a two-day mission, Shenlong has subsequently flown longer missions including one that lasted over 276 days and released small subsatellites during its orbital stay. China has released minimal information about Shenlong's mission objectives, but analysts believe it serves as a technology demonstrator for reusable spacecraft systems and potentially hosts intelligence-gathering or space domain awareness payloads. The vehicle's design and capabilities suggest it is closely related to China's broader ambitions in reusable spacecraft technology.