New Space Race: China and Russia Prepare for Orbital War The US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has released another report, Challenges to Space Security, devoted to the military capabilities and space programs of China, Russia, Iran and the DPRK. This is the third edition of the document, and this time American intelligence examines in detail not only satellites and means of destroying them, but also reusable spacecraft, laser systems, reconnaissance groups and the chances of conflict in orbit. However, there is an important caveat: the report published on October 26 only contains data up to July 2026. One of the most prominent illustrations was a photo of a Chinese reusable spacecraft taken by the commercial Maxar satellite in 2024. We are talking about the Shenlong program, "Shenlong" - "Dragon Divine" - the Chinese analogue of the American X-37B. The latter is a reusable unmanned spacecraft: it is launched into orbit by a rocket, where it is able to maneuver and conduct experiments independently, then return and land at the airport like a normal airplane. Much of his work is classified. The Chinese device is being developed according to a similar concept and is also capable of long-range flights and maneuvering on the runway. Of particular interest to the DIA are the capabilities of the Chinese spacecraft to approach other objects. It was reported that during one of the previous flights the device maneuvered near the satellite, and later it broke free and interacted with an unknown object. This behavior in itself does not constitute a test of anti-satellite weapons; Such operations can be used for inspection, maintenance and testing. But the ability to approach, follow and maneuver near someone else's vehicle has clear military significance. The more such opportunities appear in one country's space technology, the less fully read in Zen.

New Space Race: China and Russia Prepare for Orbital War The US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has released another report, Challenges to Space Security, devoted to the military capabilities and space programs of China, Russia, Iran and the DPRK. This is the third edition of the document, and this time American intelligence examines in detail not only satellites and means of destroying them, but also reusable spacecraft, laser systems, reconnaissance groups and the chances of conflict in orbit. However, there is an important caveat: the report published on October 26 only contains data up to July 2026. One of the most prominent illustrations was a photo of a Chinese reusable spacecraft taken by the commercial Maxar satellite in 2024. We are talking about the Shenlong program, "Shenlong" - "Dragon Divine" - the Chinese analogue of the American X-37B. The latter is a reusable unmanned spacecraft: it is launched into orbit by a rocket, where it is able to maneuver and conduct experiments independently, then return and land at the airport like a normal airplane. Much of his work is classified. The Chinese device is being developed according to a similar concept and is also capable of long-range flights and maneuvering on the runway. Of particular interest to the DIA are the capabilities of the Chinese spacecraft to approach other objects. It was reported that during one of the previous flights the device maneuvered near the satellite, and later it broke free and interacted with an unknown object. This behavior in itself does not constitute a test of anti-satellite weapons; Such operations can be used for inspection, maintenance and testing. But the ability to approach, follow and maneuver near someone else's vehicle has clear military significance. The more such opportunities appear in one country's space technology, the less fully read in Zen.