China Science And Technology News

China sends fourth ‘Shenlong’ reusable spacecraft mission into orbit

Programme for ‘peaceful use of outer space’ launched in 2020 is seen as potential rival to US Space Force’s X-37B

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William Zheng

Published: 8:30pm, 7 Feb 2026

China on Saturday launched the latest mission of its reusable experimental spacecraft – a potential rival to the US Space Force’s X-37B.

It was China’s fourth launch of such a prototype spacecraft since 2020, all of them conducted at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre using the Long March-2F carrier rocket.

The official name and technical specifications of the spacecraft have yet to be announced, but Chinese space fans have dubbed it the Shenlong, or “Divine Dragon”.

State news agency Xinhua described the latest launch as another planned round of “technology verification” for China’s reusable spacecraft programme.

The experiment will provide technical support for “the peaceful use of outer space”, Xinhua said, without giving further details.

China’s first reusable experimental spacecraft was launched on September 4, 2020, and successfully returned to its designated landing site after two days in orbit.
 
AZ_HighCountry said:
True.

The issue though is upstream from you. All of the existing infrastructure, especially legacy, will have an impact on what you ultimately receive.

In my current house, we have 600Meg and are hardly making a dent in the utilization. We will soon be starting the construction of the new house. The provider is running fiber in the street so I need to make sure to have a fiber handoff at the MPOE when the line is run to the house. From there, I am seriously considering CAT7 or even CAT8 for the drops needed in the house. Everything else will be wireless.
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Ubiquiti are excellent for the pro-sumer if you are looking for a recommendation. Very good equipment, I run their Dream Machine + POE switches for wired AP and POE wired security cameras. It "just works" all the time. There is a whole ecosystem you can build+upgrade in the future etc.

If you are starting from scratch, they are well worth a look. ( ie https://eu.store.ui.com/eu/en/category/all-cloud-gateways/products/udm-pro )

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Ali_Baba said:
Ubiquiti are excellent for the pro-sumer if you are looking for a recommendation. Very good equipment, I run their Dream Machine + POE switches for wired AP and POE wired security cameras. It "just works" all the time. There is a whole ecosystem you can build+upgrade in the future etc.

If you are starting from scratch, they are well worth a look. ( ie https://eu.store.ui.com/eu/en/category/all-cloud-gateways/products/udm-pro )

ui.com

UniFi - Rethinking IT - Ubiquiti

UniFi is rethinking IT with industry-leading products for enterprise networking, security, and more unified in an incredible software interface.
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Click to expand...
Good to know. Making notes of this.

Thanks!
 
As of 2024–2025,
China
is the world leader in research for 57 out of 64 critical technologies, according to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) Critical Technology Tracker. This represents a massive shift from the 2003–2007 period, when China led in only 3 categories while the US led in 60.
The most recent data from December 2025 indicates China has further expanded its lead, now topping 66 out of 74 (roughly 90%) of tracked technologies.

Key Areas of Dominance
  • Defence & Aerospace: China leads in advanced aircraft engines (with a 63% share of high-impact research), drones, and swarming robotics.
  • Energy & Environment: Dominance in electric batteries, photovoltaics, and nuclear energy.
  • Computing & AI: China recently overtook the US in cloud and edge computing, though the US retains a lead in natural language processing.
  • Advanced Materials: Extensive leadership in high-specification machining and synthetic biology.

The US and Other Competitors
  • United States: Currently leads in only 7 to 8 categories, including quantum computing, small satellites, and atomic clocks.
  • India: Emerging as a major power, ranking in the top five for 45 out of 64 technologies.
  • European Union: Leads in specific niche areas like extended reality and gravitational-force sensors.

Why This Matters
The tracker uses the top 10% of most-cited research papers as a proxy for "high-impact" breakthroughs. Analysts at Nature and ITIF note that this research lead often translates into a future "stranglehold" on global supply chains for critical technologies.
Would you like to see the specific list of technologies where the US still maintains its lead?
 
with China new EUV machine and advances in all areas, China may dominate all sectors in 10-15yrs time.
 
China clearly do not lead in engine as it’s still behind US in engine tech. It still do not have an engine in the class P&W F-135 for F-35…
 
Faithfulguy said:
China clearly do not lead in engine as it’s still behind US in engine tech. It still do not have an engine in the class P&W F-135 for F-35…
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China is also behind in nuclear propulsion technology (nuclear aircraft carrier) and EMALS technology. Saying that though, china is only behind America.
 
Why is China quietly leading so many fields? Maybe this article can explain the foundations of how this was achieved.

Based on the latest 2026 CWTS Leiden Ranking, China has achieved unprecedented dominance in global university research rankings, with eight of the top 10 institutions for scientific publication output located in China. This shift highlights China's rapid rise in science and technology, led by top institutions like Zhejiang University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
  • Dominance in Research Output: In the 2026 CWTS Leiden Rankings (based on publications 2019-2022), Chinese institutions took seven to eight of the top ten positions, effectively overtaking traditional U.S. leaders in research output.
  • Top Chinese Institutions: Key leaders in this surge include Zhejiang University (often ranked #1), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, and Nanjing University.
  • Shifting Landscape: The surge is attributed to decades of intense public investment, high-quality research teams, and tight integration between universities and industry, causing a decline in the relative representation of elite American universities in the top tier.
  • Distinction in Rankings: While China dominates in total scientific output (Leiden Rankings), U.S. institutions like Harvard, MIT, and Stanford still often lead in reputation-based rankings, such as U.S. News & World Report.
This shift indicates that China’s research capabilities, particularly in engineering and AI, are now heavily influencing the global landscape, as highlighted by Tsinghua University's top ranking in numerous subjects.
 
retaxis said:
China is also behind in nuclear propulsion technology (nuclear aircraft carrier) and EMALS technology. Saying that though, china is only behind America.
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The CVN-78 cannot even properly launch a 5th gen aircraft.

Soon, the naval version of J-50 will be launched from Fujian, then fully deployed on the Type 004.
 
ChineseTiger1986 said:
The CVN-78 cannot even properly launch a 5th gen aircraft.

Soon, the naval version of J-50 will be launched from Fujian, then fully deployed on the Type 004.
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Maybe my own information is outdated. China advance too fast to even keep track of tbh
 
retaxis said:
Maybe my own information is outdated. China advance too fast to even keep track of tbh
Click to expand...

Except few remaining puzzles, China has really overwhelmed the US in most domains.

And China has the capability to independently build the DUV and EUV lithography machine, while the US can never do that alone without relying on the supply chain built with its allies.

Most people have the difficulty to accept that China is a far more industrialized nation than the US.
 
Faithfulguy said:
China clearly do not lead in engine as it’s still behind US in engine tech. It still do not have an engine in the class P&W F-135 for F-35…
Click to expand...
In the specialized field of military turbofan engines, the F-135 engine has never been the benchmark, nor is it synonymous with advanced technology.

The benchmark for high-thrust turbofan engines is the F-119 engine; the benchmark for medium-thrust turbofan engines is the EJ-200 engine.

In terms of the technical aspects of turbofan engines alone, the F-135 is not the most advanced product. It is merely a compromise resulting from the interplay of technology and practical considerations. In simple terms, if you can manufacture the F-119 turbofan engine, you can easily manufacture the F-135 turbofan engine; there are no significant technical difficulties.

China's equivalent to the F-119 turbofan engine is the WS-15 engine; its equivalent to the EJ-200 turbofan engine is the WS-19 engine. Chinese relevant institutions usually do not like to publicly disclose product technical details, but most rational analysts generally believe that China's turbofan engine technology is currently at the same level as that of Europe and the United States, with some differences, but not significant ones.

As for the F-135, it has never been a consideration.
 
ChineseTiger1986 said:
Except few remaining puzzles, China has really overwhelmed the US in most domains.

And China has the capability to independently build the DUV and EUV lithography machine, while the US can never do that alone without relying on the supply chain built with its allies.

Most people have the difficulty to accept that China is a far more industrialized nation than the US.
Click to expand...
When China starts making 2 or 3nm chips, the nvidia stocks are going to plummet by trillions.
 
Seedance 2.0, ByteDance's new AI video tool on China's Dreamina platform, takes text, images, video clips, and audio to produce 1080p or 2K videos up to two minutes long, complete with lip-sync, sound effects, music, and edits like character swaps. Demos include fluid martial arts battles in ancient temples, neon-lit werewolf fights mimicking Arcane, gritty war scenes with Russian commands, and flowing Chinese dances—all for about $60 per sequence. Creators hail it as ahead of rivals like Sora 2 for its coherence and audio fusion, though film professionals worry about job losses and IP issues like Arcane-style copies.


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This is insane.
 
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