China's reusable Shenlong space plane launched on its fourth space mission earlier this month. What is it doing in Earth orbit, and how do those activities advance China's space goals?

X-37B spaceplane is secretive and operates in orbit for research and testing, competing with China. Spaceplanes operate in space and air, land accurately on runways, but need a rocket launch.

NASA’s long-promised space plane is finally on the cusp of leaving the runway behind and heading for orbit, a decade after the agency first backed the concept. The lifting-body vehicle known as Dream ...