This object may be a deployed subsatellite or a piece of hardware. Another explanation could be a rendezvous maneuver test.
The Chinese reusable space plane Shenlong has released another unknown object into Earth orbit. There are several assumptions about this, SpaceNews reports.
A new object of unknown origin has been cataloged as 59884 (international number 2023-195G) by US Space Force outreach teams.
Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said it could be a subsatellite.
“This object could be a deployed subsatellite or a piece of hardware that was discarded before the mission was completed and deorbited (something similar was done during the first flight of a space plane) ” he said on the social network. that X
Another possible explanation is that the spaceplane released the object to test the rendezvous maneuver. Similar behavior was recorded during its second flyby in 2022, which lasted 276 days in Earth orbit.
China maintains strict secrecy around the spacecraft, not releasing images or descriptions of it. The Shenlong is on its third mission. It was launched on December 14, 2023. The object seen today was not the first ejected by Shenlong during this mission. Just four days after its launch in December, a robotic spaceplane carried six mysterious objects into Earth’s orbit.
Let’s remember that at the end of May the Chinese company Galactic Energy launched four satellites into space.
Chinese spacecraft reaches the far side of the Moon for the first time
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Source: korrespondent
I am Ben Stock, a passionate and experienced digital journalist working in the news industry. At the Buna Times, I write articles covering technology developments and related topics. I strive to provide reliable information that my readers can trust. My research skills are top-notch, as well as my ability to craft engaging stories on timely topics with clarity and accuracy.