What Did Mysterious Chinese Spaceplane Release in Orbit?

The secretive, unmanned Chinese spaceplane that recently returned to Earth after 276 days above the planet, released something alongside it into orbit about two months into the mysterious mission – and though space experts are still at a loss as to exactly what the object may have been, they fear it may be paving the way to a future conflict.

Details regarding the mysterious spaceplane, which touched down in early May, have been scant since its launch on Aug. 4, 2022. Analysts, however, are beginning to theorize that the unidentified object it released could be some type of satellite.