The October 26 assessment shows the craft’s design and says China has lasers that can affect low-orbit satellites; it forecasts possible threats to higher orbits by the late 2020s.
On October 26, the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) published a full-resolution image of China’s reusable spaceplane in its third unclassified space-security assessment. The image was taken in orbit in 2024. The report’s information is current as of July 2026.
The DIA says China already has ground-based lasers capable of disrupting or damaging satellites in low Earth orbit, a region a few hundred miles above Earth. It judges that stronger systems may threaten satellites in higher orbits by the late 2020s. The distinction matters: one is an assessment of existing weapons; the other is a forecast.
China’s reusable spacecraft began its first orbital mission on September 4, 2020. A commercial satellite belonging to Vantor, then called Maxar, photographed it in 2024. A US Space Force official disclosed the observation that year. Lower-resolution views were public before the October 2026 assessment. The DIA’s October report made the full-resolution image public.
Ars Technica identifies triangular wings, cargo-bay doors, a dark heat shield and a rear module with solar arrays in the image. The craft resembles the US Space Force’s X-37B: both launch inside rockets and can return to a runway for reuse. The image shows the Chinese craft’s design, but does not establish its mission or whether it carries a weapon.
Western accounts often call the Chinese craft Shenlong; Chinese state media use Chongfu Shiyong Shiyan Hangtian Qi, or CSSHQ, meaning “reusable experimental spacecraft.” Its official name and whether China has more than one such vehicle remain publicly unclear. Its fourth mission, launched in February 2026, was still in orbit on October 27. Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell interprets tracking data as showing that it released and recaptured a small satellite twice between June and September; those events are his reading of the data, not a DIA finding.
The first National Security Strategy in two decades commits to deeper European cooperation as Canada and the European Union discuss closer ties.
2 min
Analysis
The DIA assesses that China’s military likely regards directed-energy weapons, which direct concentrated energy such as laser light at a target, as useful for temporarily disabling or permanently damaging satellites. It says China has multiple ground-based lasers with different power levels that can disrupt, degrade or damage satellites in low Earth orbit. China has also tested ground-based anti-satellite missiles.
Russia’s capabilities have different stages of development. Ars Technica says its military simulated an attack in 2020 using Nivelir, a system designed to fire projectiles from one satellite toward another. US intelligence officials say Russia also aims to deploy a nuclear weapon in space; that is an attributed ambition, not a deployment. Earlier in October, Russia’s Kosmos 2612 deliberately approached a US-registered imaging satellite. That maneuver was distinct from Vantor’s commercial photograph, taken during an orbital encounter rather than an approach by its satellite.
The DIA says China may field space-based directed-energy systems and more powerful ground-based versions by the late 2020s. If fielded, they could threaten satellites in higher orbits. The assessment gives no confirmed deployment date for either projected system.
Ukraine’s ombudsman plans food and medical aid for about 2,000 people in the Russian-occupied city on October 30, with mine clearance still under way.
3 min
The change applies across pension schemes from 28 October 2026. Where the member died before 75 and had enough remaining allowance, delays beyond two years no longer make lump sums taxable.
4 min
