Chinese satellite advances facial recognition from space
Chinese scientists have developed a satellite with laser technology that can capture human facial details from a distance exceeding 100 kilometres. This marks a 100-fold improvement in performance compared to the leading spy cameras and traditional telescopes.
Chinese scientists have designed a modern satellite equipped with laser technology that, while orbiting in low Earth orbit, will be capable of capturing facial details from a distance exceeding 100 kilometres. According to the "South China Morning Post," this groundbreaking achievement increases performance by 100 times compared to previous spy cameras and telescopes. The research was published in the Chinese scientific journal "Chinese Journal of Lasers."
New laser technology
The research and tests were conducted by scientists from the Institute of Space Information Research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. This technology, based on Synthetic Aperture Lidar (SAL), allows for creating 2D and 3D images with unprecedented precision. SAL uses the motion of an object, such as a satellite, to achieve higher resolution than traditional radar systems. The new system operates at optical wavelengths, which enables clearer images.
This technology has a wide range of applications, including the ability to monitor foreign satellites with unprecedented accuracy. During tests conducted over Qinghai Lake in northwestern China, the new system based on Synthetic Aperture Lidar (SAL) demonstrated the ability to create two-dimensional or three-dimensional images. SAL uses the motion of an object, such as a satellite, to produce higher-resolution images than other radar beam-scanning systems.
During the test, which included an array of reflective prisms placed approximately 101 kilometres from the lidar system, the device detected details as small as 1.8 millimetres and measured distances with an accuracy of up to 15.5 millimetres. This is a significant advance compared to previous achievements, such as a 2011 test conducted by Lockheed Martin, which achieved an azimuthal resolution of 20 millimetres from a distance of 1.6 kilometres, or the Chinese test, which achieved a resolution of 50 millimetres from a distance of 6.9 kilometres.
Tests conducted in ideal conditions
To achieve this breakthrough, the Chinese team divided the laser beam driving the lidar system into a 4x4 microlens array, which, in turn, increased the system's optical aperture from 17 millimetres to 69 millimetres. This allowed researchers to bypass the trade-off between the field of view and aperture size, which historically limited such camera systems.
However, as noted by the "South China Morning Post," the tests were conducted in ideal weather conditions. Atmospheric variables can significantly affect the system's precision and reliability.
