China’s third test mission of a reusable robotic spacecraft continues to stir speculation by launching into orbit half a dozen small objects that amateur observers casually call “wings.” The experimental orbiter, called Shenlong (meaning “divine dragon” in Chinese), was launched aboard a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Thursday, Dec. 14, and then fell into a low orbit similar to previous test missions in September. . 2020 and August 2022.

Unidentified objects were also tracked behind the spacecraft during these missions; Andrew Jones speculates that it consists of “inspector satellites” designed to track the test vehicle and potentially help it return safely to the surface. Judging by their radio emissions, these objects were likely small Chinese Banxing satellites previously used to transmit images of other spacecraft.

Four days after the last launch, Shenlong deployed six of its objects, dubbed OBJECT AF by the satellite tracking community. Amateur astronomer Scott Tilley called the objects above X “mysterious anchors.” As he explained to Brett Tingley, the emissions from each device are a mixture of signals, and only a few carry a small amount of information.

“Emissions from or near OBJECT A are similar to earlier emissions from Chinese spaceplane ‘wings’ in that the signal is modulated by a limited amount of data,” Tilly Tingley said in an email. said.

In contrast, OBJECT D and OBJECT E presented signals without any data; emissions appeared to act as a placeholder. Unlike previous missions, the signals were intermittent, meaning ground observers had to work together over several days to gather enough detail. While satellite trackers may have missed glimpses of signals in previous missions, Tilley is confident there’s something a little different about this mission.

“What we need to watch for are close collisions between OBJECT A and OBJECTS D and E. D and E are in highly elliptical orbits, while A is in a nearly circular orbit,” he told Tingley.

While amateur astronomers around the world share their theories about what China’s mysterious space plane might be up to, there is no doubt that the United States is quietly watching for its own benefit. Boeing’s X-37B experimental reusable spaceplane has much in common with China’s Shenlong; the most important of which is the secrecy surrounding its development.

At this stage, there are few details about its purpose or capabilities; Its history dates back to NASA’s X-37 project at the end of the last century, before becoming a US Department of Defense project in 2004.

With another X-37B test flight scheduled for December 28, there’s no doubt that the world’s two biggest spacefaring nations are paying close attention to each other’s new toys while keeping themselves well protected, leaving the rest of the world guessing. to what is happening above.