An amateur astronomer photographed a secret American spy plane. [FOTO]

There is an army of vehicles tasked with a series of surveillance missions. Some intercept radio waves or detect missile launches. One immortal astrophotographer.

In the world of spy satellitesFew details are publicly available, and groups like the U.S. Space Force, the National Reconnaissance Office, the CIA, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency value this. There are fleets of secret vehicles tasked with a variety of surveillance missions. Some intercept radio waves or detect missile launches. Others provide close-up views of specific areas using high-definition optical systems or scan the ground with powerful radar technology.

These high-altitude satellites are attractive targets for amateur astrophotographers. This is the case of Felix Schoffbanker, who managed to immortalize one of these spy craft.

What we know about spy satellites

In recent months, Schöfbänker has been photographing spy satellites using a 14-inch Dobsonian telescope, designed for satellite tracking and imaging from his home. Schöfbänker has focused on the new generation American reconnaissance satellites with optical and radar technologyIt was launched into space on behalf of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which designs, launches, and operates spy satellites on behalf of the U.S. federal government.

I (Future Image Architecture) FIA-Radar, also called TopazThey are five American spy satellites carrying synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging technology. This technology can see through clouds and operate day and night. They are the successors to the Lacrosse/Onyx series of SAR satellites.

Topaz properties

“From the images I took, I concluded that these satellites contained a satellite dish about 12 meters in diameter and two solar panels with a wingspan of about 10 meters,” Schoffbanker confirms. “There is also another bright object between the solar panels that I interpret as an antenna.” Up link and down link“Although it could be something else,” he added. These SAR satellites create images by sending out many pulses and then processing them on a computer to turn the returned signals into an image, Schoffbanker concluded.

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