China's secretive space plane caught on camera in incredible new photo released by US military

space.com Oct 28, 2026

China’s secretive space plane caught on camera in incredible new photo released by US military

Curated by Shubham · TechCapsules · Oct 28, 2026

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

A U.S. military intelligence agency released a high‑resolution satellite image of China’s reusable Shenlong space plane docked to an unidentified spacecraft. The photo, captured in 2024 by Vantor’s WorldView 3 sensor from 56 miles (90 km) away, shows Shenlong’s payload bay doors open and the companion satellite’s solar panels deployed, with a clarity of 4.5 cm per pixel. This is the first space‑based view of the vehicle, complementing earlier ground‑based sightings, and confirms the platform’s fourth mission, launched in February 2026, involved a rendezvous and possible payload release. Past missions in 2023‑2024 also documented Shenlong deploying objects, suggesting a pattern of sub‑satellite experiments or hardware jettison. The image adds concrete visual evidence to the largely opaque Chinese space‑plane program, mirroring similar disclosures of the U.S. X‑37B.

💡 Why It Matters

· The picture provides unprecedented proof of China’s on‑orbit docking capability, a key step toward autonomous reusable spacecraft that could reshape military and commercial space logistics.

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Astronomers found a mysterious object beyond Neptune, and it could be a…

The Vera Rubin Observatory identified a new trans‑Neptunian object, 2026 ED138, likely 600–1,500 km wide, suggesting it could be a dwarf planet. Discovered by Matthew Holman using data from the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, the object was observed 30 times on 20 nights between March and July 2026, with earlier detections from 2016 by the Dark Energy Camera. If confirmed, it would become the sixth recognized dwarf planet, expanding the known population beyond Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Haumea, and Makemake.

💡 Adding a sixth dwarf planet reshapes our understanding of the outer solar system’s size distribution and formation history. It demonstrates the Rubin Observatory’s power to uncover distant, rare bodies that challenge current models of planetary evolution.

spacenews.com · Oct 28

Flexell Space and Satoro Agree to Collaborate on In-Orbit Demonstration of Next-Generation…

Flexell Space and Singapore‑based Satoro have signed an agreement to demonstrate Flexell’s next‑generation CIGS and perovskite solar cells on two CubeSat missions launched aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets in 2027 and 2028. Satoro will build the satellites, while Flexell will supply the solar cells and test modules for integration. The missions aim to validate the cells’ power output, radiation tolerance and long‑term reliability in the space environment, comparing in‑orbit data with previous ground‑test results from Flexell’s 2025 and 2026 KSLV‑II flights. Collected data will inform design refinements and provide the technical evidence required for global customers, moving the technology toward commercial supply for satellites and other space infrastructure.

💡 Demonstrating ultralight, high‑efficiency solar cells in orbit will prove a viable, low‑cost power source for the growing CubeSat market, accelerating the shift to more capable, affordable satellite constellations.

space.com · Oct 28

How ‘spacewalking’ underwater made me feel like I was really in space

Dr. Michaela Musilova, an award‑winning astrobiologist and explorer, has led 40 simulated Moon and Mars missions—the most of any commander—to date. She now heads the nonprofit XtremeFrontiers, which launched the Astro Seven Summits project, a world‑first initiative that pairs ascents of each continent’s highest peak with scientific research, NASA collaborations, educational programs, and documentary filming. Musilova’s career spans work with NASA, ESA, CalTech, the Canada‑France‑Hawaii Telescope and other institutions, and she has consulted for global companies and museums, including the Smithsonian. Recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30, Top 100 Women in Aerospace and Aviation, and the Emerging Space Leaders Grant, she also serves as a frequent keynote speaker, media commentator, and co‑author of the biography “Woman from Mars.”

💡 By merging extreme mountaineering with space research, the Astro Seven Summits creates a novel platform for testing technologies and engaging the public in planetary science beyond traditional labs.

spacenews.com · Oct 28

Ukrainian startup, GomSpace test satellite for future communications network

Ukrainian defense‑tech startup Himera and Danish small‑sat maker GomSpace have begun testing their Obria Nano satellite, launched on SpaceX’s Transporter‑18 rideshare on Oct. 1. The experimental unit is intended to validate technologies for a future Ukrainian‑controlled communications constellation that would blanket the country with secure links. The effort follows recent mid‑October restrictions that throttled SpaceX’s Starlink and Starshield services, disrupting Ukrainian military command, drone operations and field communications. Himera, founded in 2022, builds tactical radios resistant to electronic warfare, while GomSpace supplies nanosat platforms and payloads. Both firms said the in‑orbit tests will shape design of a larger network, though they disclosed no details on capacity, financing or planned satellite count. The partnership also aims to reduce reliance on foreign providers.

💡 An indigenous satellite network would give Ukraine autonomous command‑and‑control communications, insulating its defense operations from external service disruptions.

space.com · Oct 27

On this day in space! Oct. 27, 1961: NASA launches Saturn I…

On Oct. 27 1961 NASA lifted off Saturn I’s inaugural test flight, SA‑1, from Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 34. The 162‑foot, 460‑ton vehicle, the United States’ first heavy‑lift rocket, rose to 85 miles before splashing down in the Atlantic after a 15‑minute flight. Engines shut down 1.6 seconds early due to excess liquid oxygen, a minor anomaly that engineers quickly diagnosed. The mission demonstrated the Saturn family’s core design, delivering 1.3 million pounds of thrust—nearly ten times that of the earlier Jupiter‑C and approaching the 1.5 million‑pound goal set by Wernher von Braun’s Saturn C‑1 project. NASA hailed the flight as essentially flawless, marking the first of 32 successful Saturn launches that would culminate in the Saturn V moon missions and paved the path for Apollo.

💡 The SA‑1 success showed the U.S. could field a heavy‑lift launcher, a critical capability for achieving a lunar landing before the Soviet Union.

space.com · Oct 27

Astroscale proposes fleet of ‘bodyguard’ spacecraft to protect satellites from orbital attacks

Astroscale announced plans to deploy “bodyguard” spacecraft that would patrol and protect critical satellites from hostile maneuvers. The company’s ELSA‑D mission, which successfully captured debris in low Earth orbit (LEO) from 2021 to 2024, demonstrated the technology that could be repurposed for defensive use. Astroscale’s head of defense said a protective satellite could launch within three years, costing about one percent of a military‑grade geostationary constellation’s value. The proposal follows recent Russian satellite incursions, including a close‑proximity maneuver around a Finnish radar satellite.

💡 By offering a low‑cost, agile defense platform, Astroscale could shift space security from reactive to proactive, reducing the risk of covert satellite attacks that threaten national security and commercial services.