China's secret spaceplane ejected an unknown object into orbit after 166 days circling Earth. The object, catalogued as 59884, is speculated to be a subsatellite or a test object. The spacecraft, dubbed CSSHQ, is reusable and is seen as China's rival to the US' X-37B spaceplane.
Key Points
China's secret spaceplane ejected an unknown object into orbit after 166 days in space
The object is catalogued as 59884 and speculated to be a subsatellite or a test object
The spacecraft, CSSHQ, is reusable and seen as China's rival to the US' X-37B spaceplane