China’s Shenlong robotic spaceplane, on its third mission, has added a new layer of intrigue to its space activities by deploying six unidentified objects into Earth’s orbit.
Shenlong, meaning “Divine Dragon” undertook its third mission on December 14, successfully deploying six objects into orbit shortly thereafter. These objects are currently tracked by both the US Space Force and amateur observers. The objects, which appear to emit various signals, have been designated OBJECT A, B, C, D, E and F by the US Department of Defense (official NORAD TLE designations range from 58573 to 58577 and 58581).
Scott Tilley, an amateur astronomer and satellite tracker, has closely analyzed these objects and reported his discoveries at Space.com. OBJECT A, in particular, emits signals reminiscent of the emissions from the “wingmen” of previous Chinese spaceplane missions. These signals, characterized by limited data modulation, suggest a possible link with China’s previous space activities. It is interesting to note that OBJECTS D and E emit inactive “placeholder” signals, devoid of data. Additionally, these signals tend to be intermittent and don’t last very long, according to Tilley.
The unique nature of these signals, particularly their modulation at 2,280 MHz (a frequency previously associated with Chinese spaceplane missions), and their appearance near the objects’ predicted orbital trajectories, has led trackers like Tilley to confidently associate these signals to recently launched signals. objects.
“In summary, this iteration of the Chinese spaceplane mission was launched into a similar orbit to the last two, but operationally it exhibits different radio behavior than before,” Tilley told Space .com. “The additional observations of emissions from OBJECTS D and E are new, but could also have been missed on previous missions if they were also intermittent.
In the coming days, observers should watch for close encounters between OBJECT A, in a near-circular orbit, and OBJECTS D and E, which are in elliptical orbits. These objects should come closer to each other at their perigee, the closest point in their orbit, Tilley said.
We’ve seen this sort of thing before. In previous spaceplane missions, in September 2020 and August 2022, Shenlong orbited similar unknown objects. Speculation by SpaceNews suggests that these objects could be service modules, inspector satellites for tracking spacecraft, or test items for orbital placement. In November last year, the Chinese space plane released another mysterious objectprobably a possible service module to help the spacecraft return to Earth.
Alongside Chinese activities, the United States operates its own reusable robotic space plane, the Boeing-built X-37B. The American Space Force plans launch the X-37B aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on December 28, after several delays.
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