A Chinese spacecraft, which is on its third mission, was found to have launched six unidentified objects into Earth's orbit that emit various signals, prompting the United States Department of Defense to monitor the situation.
The craft, known as Shenlong which means "Divine Dragon," made the flight on Dec. 14, and the objects that it deployed have been designated OBJECT A, B, C, D, E, and F by the Defense Department. The official NORAD TLE designations are 58573 through 58577, and 58581.
China's Unidentified Space Objects
Chinese spacecraft launches six unidentified objects into Earth's orbit that are emitting various signals, prompting the United States Department of Defense to monitor the situation.
An amateur astronomer and satellite tracker, Scott Tilley, has also been closely analyzing the objects. OBJECT A was found to emit signals that are reminiscent of "wingman" emissions from previous Chinese space plane missions.
The signals are characterized by limited data modulation and suggest a potential link to the Asian nation's earlier space activities. OBJECTS D and E, on the other hand, were found to be emitting idle "placeholder" signals that are devoid of data. Additionally, these signals tend to be intermittent and do not stay for very long, as per Gizmodo.
The unique nature of the various signals, particularly their modulation at 2,280 MHz, which is a frequency that was previously associated with Chinese space plane missions, and their appearance near the objects' predicted orbital paths led to them being associated with the objects themselves.
Tilley urged other observers to continue monitoring the close encounters between OBJECT A and OBJECTS D and E in the next few days. They are expected to come close to each other at their perigee, which is the nearest point in their orbits.
Similar situations have been observed in the past, during Shenglong's September 2020 and August 2022 missions. It released similar unknown objects into orbit and speculation suggests that they could be service modules, inspector satellites that are meant for tracking the spacecraft, or test items for orbital placement.
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Staying in Earth's Orbit
It is also entirely possible that the Chinese spacecraft has developed enough that it could carry out more ambitious experiments. For example, it could carry satellites capable of on-orbit manipulation and disrupting, degrading, destroying, and surveilling other satellites, according to The Drive.
The United States is also operating a reusable robotic space plane in relative secrecy, which is the Boeing-built X-37B. Similar to China's space plane, there is little information regarding this particular craft and its operations or capabilities. The U.S. Space Force is currently planning to launch the spacecraft on top of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on Dec. 28 after several delays.
Furthermore, the timing of the two reusable space plane launches can be considered as more than just a coincidence. In a statement, U.S. Space Force's Chief of Space Operations, General Chance Saltzman said during a conference earlier this month that they are the two most watched objects in orbit, said Space.
At least publicly, China has claimed that its space plane was designed for commercial use but it could also have military applications. This includes a convenient and potentially efficient way to get into orbit and stay there for extended periods.
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