China on Saturday launched the latest mission of its reusable experimental spacecraft – a potential rival to the US Space Force’s X-37B.It was China’s fourth launch of such a prototype spacecraft since 2020, all of them conducted at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre using the Long March-2F carrier rocket.The official name and technical specifications of the spacecraft have yet to be announced, but Chinese space fans have dubbed it the Shenlong, or “Divine Dragon”.State news agency Xinhua described the latest launch as another planned round of “technology verification” for China’s reusable spacecraft programme.The experiment will provide technical support for “the peaceful use of outer space”, Xinhua said, without giving further details.China’s first reusable experimental spacecraft was launched on September 4, 2020, and successfully returned to its designated landing site after two days in orbit.
SRCSouth China Morning Post
LANGEN
LEANCenter-Right
WORDS134
ENT5
SAT · 2026-02-07 · 12:30 GMTBRIEF NSR-2026-0207-14247
NSR-2026-0207-14247News Report·EN·Technology
China sends fourth ‘Shenlong’ reusable spacecraft mission into orbit
China launched its fourth mission of a reusable experimental spacecraft, potentially named Shenlong, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre on Saturday. The spacecraft was carried into orbit by a Long March-2F rocket.
William ZhengSouth China Morning PostFiled 2026-02-07 · 12:30 GMTLean · Center-RightRead · 1 min
South China Morning PostFIG 01
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134words
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Briefing Summary
AI-generatedNEWSAR · AI
China launched its fourth mission of a reusable experimental spacecraft, potentially named Shenlong, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre on Saturday. The spacecraft was carried into orbit by a Long March-2F rocket. This launch marks another step in China's reusable spacecraft program, following the first launch of such a prototype in September 2020. The mission aims to conduct technology verification to support the peaceful use of outer space. Official details about the spacecraft's specifications remain unreleased, but it is considered a possible competitor to the US Space Force's X-37B. The previous mission in 2020 lasted two days.
Confidence 0.85Sources 1Claims 5Entities 5
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Article analysis
Model · rule-basedFraming
Technology
National Security
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0.80 / 1.00
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Key claims
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China's first reusable experimental spacecraft was launched on September 4, 2020.
factual
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The launch is another round of “technology verification” for China’s reusable spacecraft programme.
quoteXinhua
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The launch occurred at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre using the Long March-2F carrier rocket.
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China launched its fourth mission of a reusable experimental spacecraft.
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The spacecraft is unofficially called Shenlong, or “Divine Dragon”.
quoteChinese space fans
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Full report
1 min read · 134 words§ 05
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Keywords & salience
8 termsreusable spacecraft
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china
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space mission
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shenlong
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space program
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long march-2f
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technology verification
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peaceful use of outer space
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