An experimental spacecraft of China has placed an unknown object in Earth’s orbit. The maneuvers were discovered by observers in New Zealand.
The aircraft, named “Shenlong” or “Divine Dragon,” was launched on February 7th, embarking on its fourth orbital mission. On Monday, the space surveillance company LeoLabs detected an unknown object in its vicinity.
The appearance was first detected by a radar in New Zealand, reports hotnews.ro. It was later confirmed that it was launched by the Chinese aircraft.
“Following additional observations from our global network and analyses conducted through LeoLabs Delta, we have independently cataloged this object and assessed with a high degree of confidence that it was released by the Chinese spacecraft,” LeoLabs conveyed.
The Chinese spacecraft made its debut in space in 2020, being launched for a brief, two-day mission, before landing back at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. Subsequent missions of the vehicle lasted significantly longer.
The spacecraft was launched in August 2022 and spent 276 days in Earth’s orbit, but also in 2023, when it had a mission of 268 days.
Throughout these periods, the spacecraft performed various orbital maneuvers, capture and docking operations, vertical flight and horizontal landing takeoff.
“Shenlong” has released unidentified objects during previous missions, some of which emitted various signals while in orbit. China has neither announced nor confirmed their deployment, not even after the Pentagon’s confirmations.