Super strong laser camera can clearly see people from orbit

The group of scientists from the Institute for Aerospace Information of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Development Laser Technology with the ability to take super -sharp photography from a long distance, achieving great progress in the field of photography photography learn, Interesting Engineering On February 21, reported. New research published in magazines Chinese Journal of Lasers.

New technology can contribute to redefining the global supervision, allowing China to observe foreign military satellites with unprecedented details, even identify people’s faces from the low Earth orbit.

The team conducted a test at Ho Thanh Hai, Northwest China. They use advanced synthetic aperture lidar system – laser -based photography technology with a wide -looking field – and obtained a particularly clear image.

The device is located on the northern coast of the lake, targeting the lens system, which is 101.8 km away. Testing benefits from optimal atmospheric conditions, sunshine, clouds and stable wind. As a result, the device detects small details to 1.7 mm and measures the distance with an accuracy of 15.6 mm. This performance is 100 times better than spy cameras and telescopes based on traditional lenses.

To achieve this achievement, the scientists have applied many technology improvements. By separating the laser beam through the micro -cluster of 4 x 4 lens, they expand the optical aperture of the device from 17.2 mm to 68.8 mm, overcome the problem of the aperture of the aperture and the field to look before.

The expert group also uses a dedicated laser module to send signals with frequency on 10 gigahertz. This provides extremely high resolution, allowing accurate distance measurement. At the same time, a narrow color spectrum is also maintained to increase the azimuth, improving the ability to detect horizontal details.

The new device marks a significant step in long -range photography technology. In 2011, American Lockheed Martin Company achieved a 2 cm azimuth from a distance of 1.6 km. After that, Chinese researchers achieved a resolution of 5 cm at a distance of 6.9 km. With the new device, China can take photos from a distance of more than 100 km.

“With this resolution, you can detect the damage that the meteorite causes for solar panels or identify certain sensor devices,” a scientist in Beijing said.

Laser camera development group still has many challenges ahead. Laser image quality depends heavily on weather conditions, tracking moving goals at such a distance also requires extremely high mechanical accuracy. These obstacles need to be resolved before deploying cameras for practical applications such as monitoring, observing space or military intelligence.