US warns China is expanding its space toolkit with spaceplane and energy weapons

A rare satellite image of China’s secretive spaceplane has appeared in a new US intelligence report that warned Beijing was expanding its ability to track American forces and could deploy space-based directed-energy weapons by the late 2020s.

The US Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) report published on Sunday included an image of the reusable spacecraft, credited to the Maxar satellite imagery firm in 2024, showing its shuttle-like design and apparent solar arrays.

A spaceplane is a spacecraft designed to operate in orbit and return to Earth through the atmosphere, much like the US Space Shuttle, although China’s secretive vehicle is believed to be uncrewed and more closely resembles the smaller American X-37B.