China sends Shenlong spaceplane on its fourth orbital mission

China has advanced its development of reusable orbital spacecraft with the recent launch of its fourth experimental spaceplane mission, commonly referred to as Shenlong or "Divine Dragon." Since 2020, China has conducted four such missions, all launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre using Long March-2F rockets, indicating a standardized and mature launch system. Official details remain scarce, but Chinese media describe the latest flight as a technology verification mission aimed at improving on-orbit systems and supporting the peaceful use of outer space. Previous Shenlong missions have demonstrated increasing capabilities, including long-duration orbital stays of over 260 days and advancements in thermal protection and power systems. Independent US tracking has raised suspicions that Shenlong may have dual-use military applications, particularly signals intelligence, after detecting radio signals over North America during the third mission. While China maintains a neutral public narrative focused on peaceful purposes, these observations suggest a strategic dimension to the program. Despite China’s progress, the US continues to lead in reusable space