China Secretly Releases Mysterious Object in Space, Spotted by US

China’s Shenlong spacecraft has reportedly released a mysterious object while in orbit. The discovery was made by LeoLabs, a private American space monitoring company, based on recent observations. Shenlong is on its fourth mission since launching on 6 February 2026 aboard a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert. As with previous missions, the Chinese government has not disclosed the flight’s purpose to the public. However, based on LeoLabs’ observations, one of the activities in Shenlong’s latest mission was the release of an object whose identity and function remain unknown. ‘At 02:30 UTC on 22 June 2026, LeoLabs detected an unidentified object in the vicinity of China’s reusable Shenlong spacecraft,’ the company wrote on X. ‘The object did not match any other object in our catalogue. It was first detected by our Tracker radar in New Zealand.’ After conducting additional observations through its global monitoring network and analysis using LeoLabs Delta, the company stated it believes the object originated from Shenlong. ‘After additional observations across our global network and analysis through LeoLabs Delta, we have independently catalogued this object and assess with high confidence that it was released from the Chinese spacecraft,’ LeoLabs wrote. The activity is consistent with the release of sub-satellites by the spacecraft on previous missions. Space activity observer Jonathan McDowell also noted via X that the object has now been catalogued by the United States Space Force. Shenlong, or Divine Dragon, is a reusable spacecraft launched by rocket but which lands on a runway like an aircraft. Its design is believed to be similar to the US X-37B spaceplane or NASA’s space shuttle. However, Shenlong’s technical specifications remain a mystery due to the highly secretive nature of China’s space programme. Only a few photos of Shenlong are available, mostly from ground-based telescope observations. This is not the first time Shenlong is suspected of releasing an object in orbit. In June 2024, observers suspected the spacecraft released a sub-satellite or jettisoned an unneeded component near the end of its mission. Six months earlier, Shenlong was thought to have released six objects simultaneously, though a subsequent investigation concluded those objects were launch debris. Additionally, observers have found indications of a solar panel deploying from Shenlong’s body based on telescope image analysis.