US releases rare image of China's secretive space plane docked to another spacecraft

Image of the mysterious spacecraft (Photo: DIA) US Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) has released a rare photograph of China's secretive Shenlong space plane, showing it attached to another spacecraft in orbit with its cargo compartment open. The image, released on Monday, was taken in May 2024 by a US satellite from about 90 kilometres away. It offers a clearer look at the Chinese spacecraft and its activities in space, about which Beijing has revealed very little.The image was captured when Shenlong was carrying out its third mission. A satellite called WorldView-3, operated by US imagery company Vantor, previously known as Maxar, photographed the vehicleThe picture shows Shenlong's wings and open payload bay, the compartment used to carry equipment into space. Another spacecraft is visible at its rear, with solar panels extended on either side. However, the identity of this satellite and the reason it was connected to Shenlong remain unknown.According to Space.com, the photograph has a resolution of 4.5 centimetres per pixel. Earlier images taken by observers on Earth had shown the Chinese vehicle in orbit, but they offered fewer details. A less detailed version of the same phot...