🚀 China’s secret space plane releases 6 enigmatic ‘wingmen’ in orbit

Days after arriving in orbit, China’s robotic Shenlong space plane has released six mysterious escorts. These “wingmen” occasionally transmit encoded messages of unknown purpose. While their specific purposes remain unclear, some expert analysts suspect they could be monitoring satellites or technology testbeds.

For now, the wingmen represent the secrecy surrounding much of China's space program and a willingness to signal that space is a primary development goal. In today’s Must Read, we review what's known about the puzzling payload dispatched by China's secretive space plane.

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Amateur satellite trackers have observed China’s Shenlong space plane launching six unidentified “wingmen” objects into orbit just days after reaching space. The wingmen occasionally emit signals that suggest potential monitoring or research applications.

While the wingmen’s purpose remains murky, the timing demonstrates China’s progress in space tech and synchronization with recent US capabilities. For now, these objects exemplify both the secrecy and strategic messaging shrouding China’s rapid expansion of space capabilities.

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By manipulating light patterns using quantum physics principles, researchers instantly transported intricate facial-image-level information without it physically traveling. While basic quantum bit satellite transfers enable secure communication, this new technique brings high-capacity quantum networks closer to sci-fi tech. Learn how quantum teleportation could reshape communication.

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