(Image credit: xia yuan/Getty Images)
Researchers in China have developed a laser imaging satellite powerful enough to capture details of a person's face from more than 60 miles (100 kilometers) away.
The new technology shows an increase in efficiency of more than 100 times compared to current spy cameras and traditional telescopes, the South China Morning Post reports.
The technology has a wide range of potential applications, allowing operators to track foreign satellites with a previously unattainable level of detail. Scientists from the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences presented their findings in a recent study published in the Chinese Journal of Lasers (Vol. 3, Issue 52).
According to the South China Morning Post, scientists tested a new system based on synthetic aperture lidar (SAL) on Qinghai Lake in the northwest of the country – a type of laser radar that can create both two-dimensional and three-dimensional images.
How This Powerful New Spy Satellite Works
SAL uses the motion of an object (such as a satellite) to produce higher-resolution images than other scanning beam systems. Previous SAR systems relied on longer-wavelength microwaves, which resulted in lower-resolution images.
In contrast, the new system operates at optical wavelengths that are much shorter than microwaves and provide sharper images (although microwaves provide better penetration into materials because their longer wavelengths are less prone to scattering and absorption).
In a test that used reflective prism arrays placed 63.3 miles (101.8 km) away from the lidar system, the device captured features as small as 0.07 inches (1.7 millimeters) and determined distances with an accuracy of 0.61 inches (15.6 mm).
This is a significant improvement over previous achievements, such as a test conducted by defense company Lockheed Martin in 2011, which achieved an azimuthal resolution of 0.79 inches (2 centimeters) at a distance of just 1 mile (1.6 km), or a Chinese test, where scientists achieved a then-best resolution of 1.97 inches (5 centimeters) at a distance of 4.3 miles (6.9 km).
To achieve this latest breakthrough, the Chinese team split the laser beam driving the lidar system into a 4×4 microlens array, which in turn widened the system’s optical aperture — the opening that controls the amount of light entering the camera — from 0.68 to 2.71 inches (17.2 mm to 68.8 mm). This allowed the researchers to bypass the tradeoff between field of view and aperture size that has historically held back such camera systems.
It is important to note that the tests were conducted under near-perfect meteorological and atmospheric conditions with steady wind and minimal cloud cover. Adverse weather conditions or other factors that reduce visibility may significantly affect the accuracy and reliability of the system.
Alan BradleySocial Link NavigationFreelance Writer
Alan is a freelance technology and entertainment journalist, with a focus on computers, laptops, and video games. He has previously contributed to publications such as PC Gamer, GamesRadar, and Rolling Stone. If you need tech advice or help with
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