MiTasol
Major
According to McDowell, Shenlong released the satellite, cataloged as object 2026-024H, on June 21 and brought it back aboard around July 12, likely using a robotic arm. In late August, the spaceplane released the same satellite a second time and moved several thousand kilometers away. It then closed back in for a new rendezvous on Sept. 10 and recaptured the satellite again on Sept. 13. U.S. tracking systems briefly logged what looked like a second object during this period, but McDowell said he believes that was a duplicate catalog entry for the same satellite rather than a new one.
defence-blog.com
China’s secretive spaceplane recaptures its own satellite
China's spaceplane has spent the past three months releasing, retrieving, and then recapturing the same small satellite in orbit, according to a timeline astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell posted Sept. 23 based on U.S. Space Force tracking data. It's the clearest look
