Chinese satellite photographs commercial Maxar satellite
Click for original. More images here.
In what appears to be a tit-for-tat competition, a Chinese reconnaissance satellite, dubbed Jilin-1, has now taken photographs of a commercial Earth imaging satellite owned by Maxar, that the company had previously used to photograph other Chinese satellites.
Chinese commercial remote sensing constellation operator Changguang Satellite Technology (CGST), a spinoff from an arm of the state-owned Chinese Academy of Sciences, published images Sept. 13 of a Maxar Worldview Legion 2 satellite.
The images were taken by CGST’s Jilin-1 remote sensing constellation satellites across a few hours on Sept. 8, from ranges between 40-55 kilometers, showing details of the spacecraft. While part of an expanding Earth observation constellation, Jilin-1 satellites have apparently had their operations adjusted to include Non-Earth Imaging (NEI).
Maxar had earlier published high resolution images of China’s Shijan-26 satellite, being used to test remote sensing and surveillance technologies.
None of this is particular new, though for China the technology is the most advanced it has ever had. Nations have been launching high resolution surveillance satellites since the 1960s. Nor is there anything anyone can do about it. Nations will always do this. If anything, having this ability to observe each other closely will likely reduce tensions and misunderstandings.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Click for original. More images here.
In what appears to be a tit-for-tat competition, a Chinese reconnaissance satellite, dubbed Jilin-1, has now taken photographs of a commercial Earth imaging satellite owned by Maxar, that the company had previously used to photograph other Chinese satellites.
Chinese commercial remote sensing constellation operator Changguang Satellite Technology (CGST), a spinoff from an arm of the state-owned Chinese Academy of Sciences, published images Sept. 13 of a Maxar Worldview Legion 2 satellite.
The images were taken by CGST’s Jilin-1 remote sensing constellation satellites across a few hours on Sept. 8, from ranges between 40-55 kilometers, showing details of the spacecraft. While part of an expanding Earth observation constellation, Jilin-1 satellites have apparently had their operations adjusted to include Non-Earth Imaging (NEI).
Maxar had earlier published high resolution images of China’s Shijan-26 satellite, being used to test remote sensing and surveillance technologies.
None of this is particular new, though for China the technology is the most advanced it has ever had. Nations have been launching high resolution surveillance satellites since the 1960s. Nor is there anything anyone can do about it. Nations will always do this. If anything, having this ability to observe each other closely will likely reduce tensions and misunderstandings.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Thank Bill Clinton (D) and his administration.
this ability to observe each other closely will likely reduce tensions and misunderstandings.
Perhaps the latter, but I doubt the former – especially if the observation is asymmetric or shared asymmetrically (e.g. China gives pictures of India to Pakistan).
A lot of folks pooh-poohed the military use of cis-lunar space.
What a circumlunar thump does is get you beyond folks eyeing LEO. Larger LVs are useful in this regard as a distant object using cold gas thrusters can return on any timetable.
LEO watchers can do simple math–the smaller the LV, the more constraints payloads have.
It is how the Area 51 guys knew to hide assets in hangars when a Soviet “ashcan” was scheduled to pass overhead.
I think it’s noteworthy that there is a VERY distinct difference in the image quality from Maxar vs the Chinese, with Maxar having a significantly better photo. Is this due to the Chinese purposely downsampling their image? I’d wager the Chinese sat has a poorer-quality imager, thus the poor images.
How about that? Another example of shoddy Chinese quality.
Jeff Wright,
There are no near-term potential military uses of cis-lunar space that cannot be better pursued from far closer to Earth. If, as seems entirely likely, the significant terrestrial opponents of the US all implode and disappear in the coming decade, there may well never be any necessary military use of cis-lunar space.
Starship will be a formidable delivery truck to LEO. Thus any talk of payload constraints anent LEO seems pointless.
As imaging sats and SARsats in LEO proliferate, it won’t be long before 24/7/365 coverage of every square inch of Earth is achieved – at least by our side. At that point – and probably well before – dodging in and out of hangars to avoid the overhead snoops will become a useless exercise for our opponents.
It is, however, easier for a threat nation to junk LEO.
Beyond that, many of America’s enemies have no reach.
Grown men taking pictures of each other’s satellites. What have we come to?