By 
October 27th, 2026
China’s spaceplane as captured by Maxar satellite.
Image credit: Maxar Technologies via DIA
The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has released a new report assessing the scope and breadth of adversary threats in space.
The DIA’s 2026 edition — Challenges to Security in Space — details the space defense and military goals, including strategies, plans and intentions, of China, Russia and the emerging space powers of Iran and North Korea.
The newly-issued report review’s China’s two primary spaceplane models: the Shenlong and Tengyun.
In its pages, the DIA report includes an in-space photo captured by a Maxar spacecraft showing details of a Chinese spaceplane.
China spaceplane development
As noted in the DIA report, in 2020, China launched into orbit its first-ever prototype of a spaceplane, which stayed in orbit for 2 days before returning to Earth.
In August 2022, China’s second spaceplane mission spent 276 days in orbit, much longer than the first mission. In November 2022, this spaceplane appeared to maneuver with a companion satellite and conduct station-keeping operations.
At one point, the two objects appeared within 100 meters of one another.
The spaceplane and satellite possibly rendezvoused before the satellite was re-released.
In December 2023, China launched its third space plane mission, which was on orbit for 268 days.
During this third spaceplane mission, it released and interacted with an object.
Winging it
X-37B (OTV-8) military space plane being readied for flight, with its service module not shown in photo.
Image credit: U.S. Air Force/U.S. Space Force
In related news, China’s reusable spaceplane was launched for the fourth time from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on February 7, 2026.
China’s last spaceplane flight is underway, as is the eighth flight of the Space Force X-37B (OTV-8), lofted on August 21, 2025 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida on a SpaceX Falcon 9.
Image credit: Boeing Space/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Posted in Space News
