[LINK] China Made a Spy Camera That Can See Faces from Space

[Antony Barry]

Source:
https://petapixel.com/2025/02/20/china-made-a-spy-camera-that-can-see-faces-from-space/?lctg=1980929&utm_source=digitaltrends&utm_medium=email&utm_content=subscriber_id:1980929&utm_campaign=DTDaily20250221

Chinese scientists have built a surveillance camera with unprecedented
resolving capabilities. The powerful laser-based delivered millimeter-level
resolution from 100 kilometers (62 miles) away, an achievement previously
thought impossible.

The scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Aerospace Information
Research Institute tested the new camera system at Qinghai Lake in remote
northwest China, *South China Morning Post* reports
<https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3299346/chinese-scientists-build-worlds-most-powerful-spy-camera>.
During the test, the synthetic aperture LIDAR (SAL) system looked at a
target 101.8 kilometers away across the large lake and could decipher
details just 1.7 millimeters across (1/16 inch). The SAL measured the
distance to the objects within a margin of 15.6 millimeters (0.6 inches).
*SCMP* describes this impressive performance as “100 times” better than
leading spy cameras and lens-based telescopes.

LIDAR, which stands for light detection and ranging, captures images by
striking an object with a very precise laser and then measuring the time it
takes for the reflected light to return to a receiver. Often used to make
high-resolution maps, laser-based imaging has an existing basis in military
surveillance technology. However, prior attempts have been relatively
lackluster compared to the new SAL camera.


In 2011, Lockheed Martin achieved an azimuth resolution of two centimeters
(0.8 inches) from 1.6 kilometers (one mile) away with a LIDAR camera.
Chinese scientists later achieved a five-centimeter (1.97-inch) resolution
from 6.9 kilometers (4.3 miles), *SCMP* reports. The move from these
results to SAL’s performance is incredible.

The significant advancements are possible thanks to a powerful 103-watt
laser, advanced real-time data processing, adaptive algorithms that reduce
the noise of the laser’s light, and a very large optical aperture all play
key roles.

“This isn’t just about seeing a satellite — it’s about reading its serial
numbers,” a researcher not involved in the study told *SCMP* under the
condition of anonymity. “At these resolutions, you could detect
micrometeoroid damage on solar panels or identify specific sensor payloads.”

While the breakthrough results are impressive, there are significant
limitations to laser-based camera systems. The test was performed during
perfectly clear weather for a reason — atmospheric conditions can
significantly hamper a LIDAR camera. SAL cannot track a moving target in
its current form, so that’s another hurdle.

Nonetheless, SAL breaking records from 100 kilometers away is a huge deal —
that’s how far the boundary between the atmosphere and space is from
Earth’s surface, also known as the Kármán Line.

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