Errymath: Satellite

Artificial moons '8 times brighter than the real moon' to light up city streets

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China wants to build three artificial moons “eight times brighter than the real moon” to light up city streets.<br />
The moons will have an area anywhere between 10 to 80km wide.<br />
It’s estimated the moons would save the city about 1.2 billion yuan ($240 million) in electricity costs every year.<br />
It hopes to have the project completed in four years.<br />
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However some experts say it “potentially creates significant new environmental problems”.<br />
Within four years, Chinese scientists plan to have three artificial 
moons “eight times brighter than the real moon” shining down on their 
city streets.<br />
Can it be done? The project has already been developed by the Chengdu
 Aerospace Science and Technology Microelectronics System Research 
Institute Corporation.<br />
China’s fake moons, according to state media People’s Daily, will 
light up the streets of Chengdua at night with “a dusk-like glow” across
 an area anywhere between 10 to 80km wide — bright enough to replace 
streetlights.<br />
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Wu Chunfeng, chairman of Chengdu Aerospace Science and Technology 
Microelectronics System Research Institute Corporation, said if the 
moons could light up 50km of Chengdu at night, it would save the city 
about 1.2 billion yuan ($240 million) in electricity costs every year.<br />
The three moons would be made from reflective material and operate 
alternately from their orbits 500km above the Earth, Wu said. By 2022, 
“the three huge mirrors will divide the 360-degree orbital plane, 
realizing illuminating an area for 24 hours continuously”.<br />
The real question is should it be done?<br />
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Astronomers and the anti-space junk community would no doubt be 
horrified. They’re still reeling at plans by artist Trevor Paglen to 
send a 33-metre reflective obelisk into orbit via a<br />
SpaceX rocket later this year, claiming it’s a danger and “the space 
equivalent of someone putting a neon advertising billboard right outside
 your bedroom window”.<br />
But while the “Orbital Reflector” will rival the Big Dipper for brightness, it will burn up within a couple of months.<br />
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John Barentine, Director of Public Policy at the International 
Dark-Sky Association, told Forbes the “solution” to Chengdu’s problems 
“potentially creates significant new environmental problems”.<br />
“The Chengdu ‘artificial moon’ would have the effect of significantly
 increasing the nighttime brightness of an already light-polluted city, 
creating problems for both Chengdu’s residents, who are unable to screen
 out the unwanted light, as well as for the urban wildlife population 
that can’t simply go inside and close the shutters,” he said.<br />
And if it sounds implausible, reflecting the Sun’s rays back to Earth at night has actually been done before.<br />
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In 1993, Russia successfully coaxed a beam 5km wide from a 20-metre 
solar mirror called Znamya 2 that was roughly as bright as a full moon. 
However, a piece of the reflective umbrella caught on an antenna as it 
was unfurling, and the satellite was deorbited after a couple of hours.<br />
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Artificial moons '8 times brighter than the real moon' to light up city streets

China wants to build three artificial moons “eight times brighter than the real moon” to light up city streets. The moons will have an...

Gaofen-3 Synthetic Aperture Radar imaging satellite

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<img alt="https://tiananmenstremendousachievements.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/launch-of-gaofen-3.png" height="361" src="https://tiananmenstremendousachievements.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/launch-of-gaofen-3.png" width="640" /> <br />
A Long March 4C rocket carrying a Gaofen-3 imaging satellite lifts off 
from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre on Wednesday (August 10). 
Photo: Xinhua<br />
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<b>The Gaofen-3 can provide all-weather images day or night.</b><br />

Designed by CAST (China Academy of Space Technology), Gaofen-3 employs 
the CS-L3000B bus configured with multi-polarized C-band SAR at 
meter-level resolution.<br />
The new satellite has a designed lifespan of eight years and will mainly
 be used by the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) of China.<br />
Development of the new satellite was initiated in December 2010, with 
the engineering development beginning in September 2013. The satellite 
was completed in March 2016.<br />
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Gaofen (meaning “High Resolution”) is a series of civilian Earth 
observation satellites developed and launched for the state-sponsored 
program known as the China High-definition Earth Observation System 
(CHEOS).<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /><img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/2015-12-28-122418-350x231.jpg" height="264" src="https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/2015-12-28-122418-350x231.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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SAR Earth Observation Satellite with 1-m resolution</div>
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The satellite, which is capable of penetrating clouds and even the 
ground to monitor areas of interest at up to one metre resolution was 
launched aboard a Long March 4C rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch
 Centre in Shanxi province. The synthetic aperture radar, or SAR, on the
 Gaofen-3 emits powerful electromagnetic microwaves to its target area 
and generates high resolution images from the waves as they bounce back 
from the surface or interior of the target. The Gaofen-3’s antennas 
measure 18 metres, longer than any other Chinese satellite.<br />
<br />According to state media, it would be the first Chinese satellite to 
provide civilian users with sharp satellite images day and night, either
 on land or sea, under all weather conditions including rain, haze, smog
 and dust storms, as it works independently of natural light and heat.<br />

It would be used for advance warning of disasters, weather 
forecasting, water resource assessment and monitoring of maritime 
rights.<br />
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 <img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/2015-12-28-160731-350x251.jpg" height="286" src="https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/2015-12-28-160731-350x251.jpg" width="400" /><br />
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The Gaofen-3 marked a “small but important step” in China’s long 
march to become a space power, said professor Wu Shunjun, a radar 
technology expert at the National Lab of Radar Signal Processing in 
Xidian University, Xian.<br />
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The SAR instrument use domestic technology to allow the satellite to 
search for targets of interest in a large area at high speed. Once 
locking onto a target, it could immediately shift to scrutiny mode for 
non-stop, close observations at high resolution for more than an hour 
during a fly-by.<br />
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The Gaofen- 3 has 12 different modes, each with hardware and software
 settings fine-tuned for specific tasks. In comparison, the PAZ 
satellite, to be launched by the European Space Agency later this year 
to supply images at similar resolution, only has three modes.<br />

Thus, the Gaofen-3 would “serve many the different needs of many different users,” Wu told the South China Morning Post.<br />
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China had previously launched many SAR satellites, some that probably
 provided higher resolution, but most were reserved for military or 
government reconnaissance purposes including tracking suspicious 
vehicles in areas of unrest in Xinjiang or monitoring vessels in 
disputed waters in the South China Sea.<br />

Civilian users such as research institutes studying the environment 
or sea level increases caused by climate change had to rely on images 
provided by foreign satellite service companies.<br />
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Liu Jianqiang, deputy director of the National Satellite Ocean 
Application Service centre in Beijing, told Xinhua in 2014 that the 
search for the missing MH370 aircraft would have been easier if 
searchers had the Gaofen-3, which was then still under development at 
the China Academy of Space Technology.<br />

Plane debris floating on the surface of the ocean was always on the 
move and often obscured by waves and weather and therefore impossible to
 spot with conventional optical sensors on satellites at night, he said.<br />
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China would need at least three satellites like the Gaofen-3 in space
 to keep a constant eye on a sensitive area in the world’s oceans 
because the width of a single satellite’s scanning band was limited, and
 the radar could only light on an area during its fly-by, Gao said.<br />
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The Gaofen-3 was expected to be in service for eight years, nearly 
twice as long as other Gaofen series earth observation satellites 
operating in lower earth orbits, where drag was considerable due to the 
close proximity to the earth’s atmosphere.<br />
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The Gaofen project, also known as the China High-definition Earth 
Observation System, intends to establish a large network of earth 
observation instruments by 2020 for real time, all-weather, global 
surveillance on various platforms including satellites, stratospheric 
airships and planes. <i>SCMP</i><br />
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<img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="http://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/atrain-879x485.jpg" src="http://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/atrain-879x485.jpg" /><br />
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<a href="https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/08/long-march-4c-launches-gaofen-3/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Gaofen Series</b></span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span><br />
Gaofen-1 uses a CAST2000 bus, configured with one 2 meter panchromatic, 
an 8 meter multi-spectral camera and one 16m multispectral 
medium-resolution and wide-view camera. The satellite realizes an 
integration of imaging capacity at medium and high spatial resolution 
and with large swath, with designed lifespan of over 5 years. It was 
launched on April 26, 2013.<br />
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Gaofen-2 employs the CS-L3000A bus, configured with one 1 meter 
panchromatic/4m multi-spectral camera, with designed lifespan of over 5 
years. The satellite was launched on August 19, 2014.<br />
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<img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/2016-08-09-221919-350x239.jpg" height="273" src="https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/2016-08-09-221919-350x239.jpg" width="400" /><br />
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Gaofen-4 was developed by CAST and is based on the new GEO 
remote-sensing satellite bus. It has orbital mass of 4,600 kg and was 
designed for a life span of 8 years. The satellite was placed into orbit
 by a Long March-3B launch vehicle from the Xichang Satellite Launch 
Centre on 29 December, 2015.<br />
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The future spacecraft, Gaofen-5, sports a SAST5000B bus and is 
configured with six types of payloads, including visible and short-wave 
infra hyper-spectral camera, spectral imager, greenhouse gas detector, 
atmospheric environment infrared detector at very high spectral 
resolution, differential absorption spectrometer for atmospheric trace 
gas, and multi-angle polarization detector.<br />
It is designed for 8 years and is scheduled to launch in 2017.<br />
<br />
On June 26, 2015, China launched the Gaofen-8 satellite. Developed by 
the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the 
satellite is part of a civilian program whose aim is to facilitate 
climate surveying, disaster response, precision agriculture mapping, 
urban planning and road network design.<br />
Its imagery will be mostly used by the Ministry of Land and Resources, 
the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and the Ministry of 
Agriculture.<br />
The satellite was launched from the Taiyuan Satellite 
Launch Center using a Long March-4B rocket.<br />
<br />
On September 14, 2015, another Gaofen satellite, Gaofen-9, was launched 
from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, using a Long March-2D. 
Possibly a civilian version of the Yaogan Weixing-2 (Jianbing-6) 
satellite, Gaofen-9 will provide sub-meter class resolution optical 
images for city planning, road network design, land ownership 
determination etc. purposes. <i>nasaspaceflight.com</i><br />
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Gaofen-3 Synthetic Aperture Radar imaging satellite

A Long March 4C rocket carrying a Gaofen-3 imaging satellite lifts off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre on Wednesday (Augus...

Live video from Chinese commercial satellite JL-1: Real time monitoring moving objects

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10 more to conclude the initial 14-satellite network by the end of 2016.<br />
There will be 60 in orbit by 2020 and 138 by 2030. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>France - 100 years of Fighter Squadron "Lafayette"
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>CAIC WZ 10 - Demonstration
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Live video from Chinese commercial satellite JL-1: Real time monitoring moving objects

10 more to conclude the initial 14-satellite network by the end of 2016. There will be 60 in orbit by 2020 and 138 by 2030. Fra...

The World's Most Powerful Hyperspectral Satellite

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8SxVZEAWMyd4l3BkXKp8TXtfemaADEMYK3N5dHZUPYwT33L5aOoGhQ2TS1ocxcglmESoDe2Jd36QbI4mYPnqAxhrqPBglOYSEQs6HvMuaxklcLzlZHqcq3PJMKdAzCaJyOOHZh_q2frY/s1600/china_hyperspectral_image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8SxVZEAWMyd4l3BkXKp8TXtfemaADEMYK3N5dHZUPYwT33L5aOoGhQ2TS1ocxcglmESoDe2Jd36QbI4mYPnqAxhrqPBglOYSEQs6HvMuaxklcLzlZHqcq3PJMKdAzCaJyOOHZh_q2frY/s640/china_hyperspectral_image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="field-title">
    Image Cuge<br />

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<div class="field-body">
    This hyperspectral image cube (layers of the image in hundreds of
 different EM wavelengths) of terrain allows for detailed analysis of 
the imaged area, since anomalies and features (such as mineral deposits)
 of the land would react differently to different EM wavelengths.<br />
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<img alt="China HJ-1B Satellite Hyperspectral" class="full-width unveil-processed full-visible" data-lgsrc="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/large_1x_/public/hj-1_camera.jpg?itok=g2glOe-l" data-medsrc="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/hj-1_camera.jpg?itok=Hn8YLlBG" data-smsrc="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/small_1x_/public/hj-1_camera.jpg?itok=BKf-9fUK" data-src="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/hj-1_camera.jpg?itok=Hn8YLlBG" height="384" src="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/hj-1_camera.jpg?itok=Hn8YLlBG" width="640" /><div class="caption-wrapper">
<a class="colorbox-button cboxElement" href="http://www.popsci.com/china-to-launch-worlds-most-powerful-hyperspectral-satellite"> </a>
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    China National Space Administration<br />

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<div class="field-title">
    Many Eyes in One<br />

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    Hyperspectral cameras, such as this one launched in 2008 on the 
HJ-1B microsatellite, share technology with spectrometers, which measure
 the material composition of objects through the unique signature that 
each material has to a certain EM wavelenght.<br />
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While SEAL Team 6 descended upon Osama Bin 
Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan in 2011, they used 
hyperspectral imaging to gain an edge in nighttime urban combat.  But 
China is soon bringing that advantage to space, preparing to launch the 
world's most powerful hyperspectral imaging satellite.</div>
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Electro-optical devices like cameras and 
infrared sensors generally observe only one band in the electromagnetic 
spectrum, i.e. cameras observe the band visible to human eyesight and 
infrared cameras view the infrared band.  Hyperspectral cameras and 
sensors, on the other hand, can simultaneously view hundreds of 
electromagnetic bands for a single image, building a layered 'cube' of 
the image in different electromagnetic wavelengths. The use of such a 
wide range of wavelengths provides the ability to observe objects which 
conceal their emissions in one part of the spectrum (i.e. stealth 
aircraft and thermally suppressed engines) or are hidden (such as 
underground bunkers).</div>
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<img alt="Chang&#039;e 1 China Moon Hyperspectral" class="full-width unveil-processed full-visible" data-lgsrc="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/large_1x_/public/change_hyperspectral_moon.jpg?itok=WHvRbnzh" data-medsrc="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/change_hyperspectral_moon.jpg?itok=RIZcwjPl" data-smsrc="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/small_1x_/public/change_hyperspectral_moon.jpg?itok=H7H7JsM4" data-src="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/change_hyperspectral_moon.jpg?itok=RIZcwjPl" height="465" src="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/change_hyperspectral_moon.jpg?itok=RIZcwjPl" width="640" /><div class="caption-wrapper">
<a class="colorbox-button cboxElement" href="http://www.popsci.com/china-to-launch-worlds-most-powerful-hyperspectral-satellite"> </a>
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    RADI<br />

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<div class="field-title">
    Chang'e 1 Lunar Scans<br />

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<div class="field-body">
    The Chang'e 1 lunar orbiter used a hyperspectral camera to identity different layers of mineral deposits in the lunar crust.<br />
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Since the 1970s, China has a strong history 
of scientific and civilian utilization of hyperspectral imaging.  
Space-based platforms include the Chang'e lunar missions and 
Earth-observation from the Tiangong space station and HJ-1 small 
satellite.  Aircraft-mounted hyperspectral imagers are used for tasks 
such as environmental surveys, oil prospecting, disaster relief and crop
 measurement.  As computer processing power improves and hyperspectral 
sensors get smaller, Chinese civilian and military applications are 
likely to expand.</div>
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<img alt="China CCRSS satellite hyperspectral camera" class="full-width unveil-processed full-visible" data-lgsrc="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/large_1x_/public/ccrss_hyperspectral_camera.jpg?itok=eBXISMxq" data-medsrc="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/ccrss_hyperspectral_camera.jpg?itok=GGowEogd" data-smsrc="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/small_1x_/public/ccrss_hyperspectral_camera.jpg?itok=-7-dQ5OH" data-src="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/ccrss_hyperspectral_camera.jpg?itok=GGowEogd" height="396" src="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/ccrss_hyperspectral_camera.jpg?itok=GGowEogd" width="640" /><div class="caption-wrapper">
<a class="colorbox-button cboxElement" href="http://www.popsci.com/china-to-launch-worlds-most-powerful-hyperspectral-satellite"> </a>
  <div class="field-credit">
    Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth<br />

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<div class="field-title">
    CCRSS<br />

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<div class="field-body">
    The CCRSS's hyperspectral camera will be the most powerful in 
orbit, with a 15 meter resolution across 328 electromagnetic bands, once
 launched later this year.<br />
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A key in this program is the China Commercial
 Remote-sensing Satellite System (CCRSS), to be launched later this 
year.  It can collect data on 328 electromagnetic bands, offering very 
high resolution of up to 15 meters, according to the researchers from 
the Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth in Beijing. In 
comparison, the U.S. TacSat 3, launched in 2010, collects only 300 
electromagentic bands, at a lower resolution.  While it is being 
launched for commercial users, like most other Chinese earth-observation
 satellites, it would also be available for military use.</div>
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<img alt="Professor Xiang Libin President Xi Jinping China hyperspectral" class="full-width unveil-processed full-visible" data-lgsrc="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/large_1x_/public/xiang_xi.jpg?itok=QA5jq3Qx" data-medsrc="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/xiang_xi.jpg?itok=xZPNV1mA" data-smsrc="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/small_1x_/public/xiang_xi.jpg?itok=5AEBF7Eq" data-src="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/xiang_xi.jpg?itok=xZPNV1mA" height="398" src="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/xiang_xi.jpg?itok=xZPNV1mA" width="640" /><div class="caption-wrapper">
<a class="colorbox-button cboxElement" href="http://www.popsci.com/china-to-launch-worlds-most-powerful-hyperspectral-satellite"> </a>
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    South China Morning Post<br />

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<div class="field-title">
    Congratulations<br />

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<div class="field-body">
    Professor Xiang Libin, of the Shanghai Engineering Center for 
Microsatellites, shakes Chinese President Xi Jinping's hands after 
received an unspecified decoration in the 2016 National Science and 
Technology Awards.<br />
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Notably, on January 8, 2016, hyperspectral 
expert Professor Xiang Libin of the Shanghai Engineering Center for 
Microsatellites received an award from President Xi Jinping during the 
2016 national science and technology awards ceremony, for an unspecified
 project.  Interestingly, Professor Xiang's non-mention on the awards 
program mirrors the scrubbing of a 2015 Feng Ru aeronautic award handed 
out to Professor Wang Zhengguo for developing China's first scramjet 
hypersonic engine.</div>
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<img alt="Hyperspectral IED US Army" class="full-width unveil-processed full-visible" data-lgsrc="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/large_1x_/public/hyperspectral_imaging_ndm.jpg?itok=McZZ5Qt1" data-medsrc="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/hyperspectral_imaging_ndm.jpg?itok=W4wItpkl" data-smsrc="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/small_1x_/public/hyperspectral_imaging_ndm.jpg?itok=z5020sow" data-src="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/hyperspectral_imaging_ndm.jpg?itok=W4wItpkl" src="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/hyperspectral_imaging_ndm.jpg?itok=W4wItpkl" /><div class="caption-wrapper">
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    National Defense Magazine<br />

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<div class="field-title">
    You Can't Hide<br />

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    U.S. Army troops already use hyperspectral imagery (often 
obtained from aircraft) to locate hidden hazards like IEDs (across many 
different EM wavelenghts, IEDs and other man-made objects give off a 
different imagery from natural features).<br />
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Broader Chinese advances in hyperspectral imaging can be expected to 
have a variety of military uses. Hyperspectral imaging can be a valuable
 tool for finding submarines and underwater mines in shallow waters.  On
 land, they can determine the actual composition of objects to 
distinguish decoys (hyperspectral imaging can capture the differences in
 EM signature of a wooden decoy versus an actual missile launcher).  In 
the air, hyperspectral sensors can passively detect even thermally 
shielded stealth aircraft.  For counter-WMD missions, hyperspectral 
imaging can be used to detect nuclear and chemical weapons production, 
as well as locating the underground tunnels and bunkers that would house
 those strategic assets.  For China, hyperspectral imaging is opening up
 a whole new world.<br />
<i>By Jeffrey Lin and P.W. Singer. | Popular Science.</i> <br />
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The World's Most Powerful Hyperspectral Satellite

Image Cuge This hyperspectral image cube (layers of the image in hundreds of different EM wavelengths) of terrain allows...

“Super Camera” for use in reconnaissance satellites: The hidden man fuelling developing it

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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKmY9E1-G5QMKoe-ptnbayim31rGbb1ZtA7boHxzcqPeylMyD1fwgqVO8a3_6obt4iKX0QTffA_HHEWrKbqWqCbur6-MkgMxwCu4f_PEz_BIy7lRGHBjMfekfAziXIu5q3v5O95BhKQ0/s1600/b422d032-b8fe-11e5-9ce7-2395197ababe_486x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKmY9E1-G5QMKoe-ptnbayim31rGbb1ZtA7boHxzcqPeylMyD1fwgqVO8a3_6obt4iKX0QTffA_HHEWrKbqWqCbur6-MkgMxwCu4f_PEz_BIy7lRGHBjMfekfAziXIu5q3v5O95BhKQ0/s640/b422d032-b8fe-11e5-9ce7-2395197ababe_486x.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Commercial Remote-sensing Satellite System </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This
 image shows the technical layout of the China Commercial Remote-sensing
 Satellite System (CCRSS), which will be launched this year. Its 
hyperspectral sensors can allegedly outperform those of the Artemis 
system on the US military satellite TecSat-3, which was launched in 
2010. Source: Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Chinese 
Academy of Sciences<br />

<ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="externalLink" href="http://cdn1.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/486x302/public/images/methode/2016/01/12/8cafafd8-b8ff-11e5-9ce7-2395197ababe_1280x720.jpg?itok=WMIx9cfR" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="http://cdn1.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/486x302/public/images/methode/2016/01/12/8cafafd8-b8ff-11e5-9ce7-2395197ababe_1280x720.jpg?itok=WMIx9cfR" src="http://cdn1.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/486x302/public/images/methode/2016/01/12/8cafafd8-b8ff-11e5-9ce7-2395197ababe_1280x720.jpg?itok=WMIx9cfR" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hyperspectral imaging expert Xiang Libin (right) receives the 
prestigious accolade from President Xi Jinping during the annual 
national science and technology awards ceremony in Beijing on Friday. 
Credit: Xinhua</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
A scientist who specialises in optics and has been developing a “super 
camera” for use in reconnaissance satellites has pocketed China’s top 
science award for his latest technological breakthrough, hinting at how 
formidable the nation’s military is becoming and the measures taken to 
keep such developments under wraps.<br />
<br />
Hyperspectral imaging expert Xiang Libin, 49, received the prestigious 
gong from President Xi Jinping during the annual national science and 
technology awards ceremony in Beijing on Friday.<br />
<br />
During an official group photo session with state leaders, Professor 
Xiang was pictured in a prominent position behind Xi, hinting at the 
level of importance attached to his work.<br />
<br />
This level of official recognition suggests China may have fully 
acquired the technology to locate and track military targets that are 
usually camouflaged or hidden underground, such as missile launch sites 
and testing facilities for nuclear weapons.<br />
<br />

Due to the sensitivity of the research, however, Xiang’s name did not 
appear on the list of award recipients; neither were his efforts 
trumpeted with the usual pomp and ceremony preserved for patriotic 
milestones by China’s state-run media.<br />
<br />
But Xiang, a former director at the Academy of Opto-Electronics under 
the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is well known among China’s optical 
research community for his pioneering works on hyperspectral imaging 
sensors. He now runs the Shanghai Engineering Centre for 
Microsatellites.<br />
<br />
While traditional cameras can capture an object’s appearance, a hyperspectral camera is able to determine what the object is.<br />
<br />
For example, a military spy satellite equipped with hyperspectral 
sensors would be able to tell the difference between a genuine and 
“counterfeit” fighter jet if they were parked side by side at an 
airport. In contrast, the two would appear identical to cameras that use
 optical, infrared or microwave rays, now matter how sharp the images 
they produce.<br />
<br />
<a class="externalLink" href="http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/980w/public/images/methode/2016/01/12/b7f7ea1c-b8fe-11e5-9ce7-2395197ababe_image_hires.jpg?itok=aPEiaNtS" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/486w/public/images/methode/2016/01/12/b7f7ea1c-b8fe-11e5-9ce7-2395197ababe_486x.jpg?itok=ah0hI7Zz" height="474" src="http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/486w/public/images/methode/2016/01/12/b7f7ea1c-b8fe-11e5-9ce7-2395197ababe_486x.jpg?itok=ah0hI7Zz" width="640" /> </a><br />
An
 image taken over Australia using a hyperspectral camera aboard China’s 
Tiangong-1 space lab reveals the distribution of minerals and 
agricultural vegetation in the area, in this 2011 file photo. Photo: 
Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Chinese Academy of 
Sciences<br />
<br />
The hyperspectral imaging technology did the trick by examining the 
electromagnetic “fingerprint” of the target. The camera collected 
spectral data over a continuous range of electromagnetic bands for each 
pixel. The resulting data revealed the object’s true chemical 
composition and physical traits.<br />
<br />
Now scientists claim that a military or government intelligence service 
could use such a satellite to search for any “object of interest” 
anywhere in the world. This could be a specific vehicle, a strategic 
missile launch site, camouflaged roadside bombs, or even nuclear-testing
 facilities hidden underground as they all have their own hyperspectral 
“fingerprint”.<br />
<br />
Over the last decade, Yuan Yan, a professor of optical science at 
Beihang University in Beijing, has co-authored many research papers with
 Xiang on the theme of a hyperspectral imaging sensor for use in a 
satellite.<br />
<br />
She confirmed to the <i>South China Morning Post</i> that Xiang was the man standing behind Xi in the aforementioned group photo.<br />
<br />
<a class="externalLink" href="http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/980w/public/images/methode/2016/01/12/bd064742-b8fe-11e5-9ce7-2395197ababe_image_hires.jpg?itok=LcKRu8vT" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/486w/public/images/methode/2016/01/12/bd064742-b8fe-11e5-9ce7-2395197ababe_486x.jpg?itok=3jIX6waE" src="http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/486w/public/images/methode/2016/01/12/bd064742-b8fe-11e5-9ce7-2395197ababe_486x.jpg?itok=3jIX6waE" /> </a><br />
Professor
 Xiang (the tall, balding man with glasses) is pictured behind the right
 shoulder of Chinese President Xi Jinping in this group photo with state
 leaders in Beijing on Friday. Xiang’s prominent position implies the 
importance of his research to China’s defence industry. Photo: Handout<br />
<br />
But Yuan declined to provide more details on Xiang’s award-winning breakthrough.<br />
“It is classified … for good reason,” she said.<br />
Professor Sun Liqun, an optical scientist at Tsinghua University who has
 been involved in various military research projects, said Xiang was a 
figurehead in the field, even though he is little known outside of this 
small circle of people due to the sensitive nature of his work.<br />
<br />
The use of hyperspectral technology by China’s military had been a 
closely guarded secret for years, but there is enough evidence to 
suggest the country embarked on this field of research relatively early,
 and apparently with the aim of overtaking the US by launching a new 
satellite this year.<br />
<br />
The first-known camera of its kind deployed by the US Army was the 
Artemis system, according to its developer Raytheon Company. This was 
tested on the TacSat-3 satellite, which was launched in 2010, the major 
US defence contractor said.<br />
<br />
<a class="externalLink" href="http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/980w/public/images/methode/2016/01/12/bf95bf06-b8fe-11e5-9ce7-2395197ababe_image_hires.jpg?itok=Nxz14_ED" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/486w/public/images/methode/2016/01/12/bf95bf06-b8fe-11e5-9ce7-2395197ababe_486x.jpg?itok=9WSOJ6a1" height="464" src="http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/486w/public/images/methode/2016/01/12/bf95bf06-b8fe-11e5-9ce7-2395197ababe_486x.jpg?itok=9WSOJ6a1" width="640" /> </a><br />
<br />
China
 has used the hyperspectral camera in lunar missions to produce one of 
the largest and most detailed maps of mineral distribution on the 
surface of the moon. Credit: Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital 
Earth, Chinese Academy of Sciences<br />
<br />
The Artemis sensors can collect data on 300 electromagnetic bands, thus 
allowing its user, the US Strategic Command, to operate it for tactical 
purposes ranging from the detection of roadside bombs to the 
identification of nuclear weapon facilities.<br />
<br />
But the system remains in an experimental stage as a number of technical problems, such as its low resolution, still unsolved.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, a civilian satellite that China plans to launch this year 
will be equipped with a more advanced hyperspectral camera than that 
linked to the Artemis, Chinese researchers said during an international 
conference held by the Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society in 2014.<br />
<br />
The China Commercial Remote-sensing Satellite System (CCRSS) will be 
able to collect data on 328 bands offering very high resolution of up to
 15 metres, according to the researchers from the Institute of Remote 
Sensing and Digital Earth in Beijing. This means each pixel in the image
 measures 15 metres squared.<br />
<br />
Hyperspectral research efforts have been going on in China for several 
decades, having begun at the start of the 1970s, the team said in a 
presentation.<br />
<br />
<a class="externalLink" href="http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/980w/public/images/methode/2016/01/12/c482b4b0-b8fe-11e5-9ce7-2395197ababe_image_hires.jpg?itok=3QRWMNi0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/486w/public/images/methode/2016/01/12/c482b4b0-b8fe-11e5-9ce7-2395197ababe_486x.jpg?itok=VrQsLnYp" height="384" src="http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/486w/public/images/methode/2016/01/12/c482b4b0-b8fe-11e5-9ce7-2395197ababe_486x.jpg?itok=VrQsLnYp" width="640" />The
 hyperspectral camera used on the small satellite constellation known as
 HJ-1 - which was launched in 2008 - can also be applied in civilian 
sectors such as those pertaining to the environment or disaster 
monitoring. Credit: Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, 
Chinese Academy of Sciences</a><br />
<br />
The technology was tested extensively and improved over time on 
aircraft-based platforms, before researchers shifted their attention to 
devices in space.<br />
<br />
The first satellite-based hyperspectral camera, called the CMODIS, was 
installed on Shenzhou-3, an unmanned spacecraft that China launched in 
2002.<br />
<br />
The camera was fairly primitive with just 34 spectral bands and 
resolution as low as 500 metres, but it was soon replaced as Chinese 
technology in this area developed at a fast clip.<br />
<br />
By 2008 the small satellite constellation known as HJ-1 was able to scan
 115 bands with resolution of 100 metres, according to the researchers.<br />
<br />
But as these developments and sensors all took place in equipment 
destined for the civilian sector,many suspect the cameras used by 
China’s military can perform significantly better.<br />
<br />
However, the hyperspectral imaging technology could theoretically be 
applied in a number of sectors including vegetation identification 
(agriculture), mineral detection and the assessment of polluted waters 
in oceans, coastal zones and inland waterways.<br />
<br />
The technology could also be used for space exploration missions.<br />
<br />
China has deployed a hyperspectral camera for use on previous lunar 
missions, during which it produced one of the largest and most detailed 
maps of mineral distribution on the surface of the moon to date.<br />
<br />
<a class="externalLink" href="http://m.scmp.com/tech/science-research/article/1900103/hidden-man-fuelling-chinas-military-ambitions-xiang-libin" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The
 hidden man fuelling China’s military ambitions: Xiang Libin honoured 
for work on ‘super camera’ to aid spy satellites | South China Morning 
Post</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Most Powerful 30 km/s Acceleration Ion Jet Engine </span></b><br />
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<div class="wp-caption alignnone" data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_22273" style="width: 310px;">
<img alt="Ion jet engine" class="size-medium wp-image-22273" height="215" src="https://tiananmenstremendousachievements.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/ion-jet-engine.jpg?w=300&h=162" width="400" /><div class="wp-caption-text">
Ion jet engine</div>
<div class="wp-caption-text">
  </div>
</div>
Hong Kong media <span class="skimlinks-unlinked">news.wenweipo.com</span>
 reports today that China displayed its new generation of ion engine. 
Ion jet engine was invented by the Soviet Union in 1971 and has been 
used in space rockets for decades.<br />

However, new generation of ion jet engine is the best in the 
world with acceleration of 30 km/second and according to the scientists 
who have developed it, the acceleration can be further increased by 30%.<br />

Iron engines are better than engines using chemical fuel in its 
ability to operate in lower temperature, lighter weight and less 
consumption of fuel.<br />
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</div>

“Super Camera” for use in reconnaissance satellites: The hidden man fuelling developing it

Commercial Remote-sensing Satellite System This image shows the technical layout of the China Commercial Remote-sensing Satellite Sys...

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