Chinese scientists build world’s most powerful spy camera
The laser-based system could potentially allow China to scrutinise foreign military satellites with unparalleled precision
Chinese scientists have achieved a quantum leap in optical imaging technology with a powerful laser that could redefine global standards for surveillance, potentially allowing Beijing to scrutinise foreign military satellites with unparalleled precision or distinguish details as fine as a human face from low-Earth orbit.
The team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Aerospace Information Research Institute captured images with millimetre-level resolution from distances exceeding 100km (62 miles), a feat previously deemed unattainable.
The breakthrough was described in a study published on Friday in the peer-reviewed Chinese Journal of Lasers.
During a trial conducted across Qinghai Lake – a sprawling alpine body of water in China’s remote northwest – the researchers deployed a cutting-edge synthetic aperture lidar system, a type of laser-based imaging system with a wide field of vision.
Positioned on the lake’s northern shore, the device targeted arrays of reflective prisms placed 101.8km away under pristine atmospheric conditions with high visibility, minimal cloud cover, and steady wind.
The device was able to quickly spot details measuring as small as 1.7mm across (1/16 inch) and tell the distance to objects with an accuracy of 15.6mm – a level of detail 100 times better than what can be seen with the leading spy cameras and telescopes that use lenses.