CHINA UNVEILS WORLD’S SHARPEST SPY CAMERA—SPOTTING TINY DETAILS FROM 62 MILES

Mario Nawfal

@MarioNawfal
🚨🇨🇳 CHINA UNVEILS WORLD’S SHARPEST SPY CAMERA—SPOTTING TINY DETAILS FROM 62 MILES

Chinese scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Aerospace Information Research Institute have built a cutting-edge spy camera, testing it across Qinghai Lake today.

Using a laser system—synthetic aperture lidar—it snapped images with millimeter-level detail from over 100 km (62 miles) away.

The tech can spot tiny 1.7mm (1/16-inch) objects and measure distances within 15.6mm (5/8-inch) accuracy—100 times sharper than today’s best spy cams.

It uses a powerful 103-watt laser, split across micro-lenses, to see fine details like satellite serial numbers or even human faces from low-Earth orbit.

Tested under clear skies, the system beats past records: U.S. firms hit 2cm resolution at 1.6km in 2011; China’s old mark was 5cm at 6.9km.

If perfected, it could turbocharge surveillance, space tracking, and military intel—raising global eyebrows, but amazement, too.

Source: South China Morning Post, Chinese Journal of Lasers