According to military sources, China's experimental spacecraft could be part of the Shenlong Space Plane Project. While details of the mission were not disclosed, it was announced that the developed spacecraft had completed its first flight test.

After two days in orbit, the country's state-affiliated news agency Xinhua announced the platform as a “significant breakthrough. “The spacecraft was launched from the Jiuquan satellite centre by a Long March-2F rocket.

According to sources, China's “experimental reusable spacecraft” could be part of a potentially development project for military applications.

China's experimental spacecraft is said to be similar to the X-37B platform developed by the United States.