• We have updated the guidelines regarding posting political content: please see the stickied thread on Website Issues.

Chinese Satellite Gathering Intel For Pearl Harbor-Style Hypersonic Missile Attack Using Green Lasers, Claim Experts

maximus otter

Recovering policeman
Joined
Aug 9, 2001
Messages
13,848
China used green lasers fired from satellites to gather intelligence for a surprise hypersonic missile attack on Hawaii, it has been warned.

The satellite was recorded flashing lasers for a fraction of a second by a livestream camera attached to a telescope on top of a mountain on one of the islands.

china-using-green-lasers-gather-801593629-1.jpg


The lasers captured on a telescope's livestreamCredit: Twitter/@SubaruTel_Eng

Initially the lights were thought to come from a NASA satellite before it was finally established it was a Chinese pollution monitoring satellite the Daqi-1.

But questions immediately began to be raised about why the Chinese would feel it necessary to monitor pollution in Hawaii, given the large US military presence there.

And it comes just weeks after China flew a giant balloon over the US - which was widely understood to be a spy tool even as Beijing claimed it was a civilian weather airship.

Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Hawaii remains vital for the United States military and the presence of the satellite comes amid increased tensions between the US and China.

https://www.the-sun.com/news/7609620/china-satellite-lasers-hypersonic-missiles/

maximus otter
 
What exactly are the lasers supposed to have been doing, that the normal satellite reconnaissance couldn't achieve?
 
What exactly are the lasers supposed to have been doing, that the normal satellite reconnaissance couldn't achieve?
My guess: LIDAR. Can be used for highly detailed 3D mapping

EDIT: Interesting paper. It seems like it can be used to see details hidden by vegetation that would be invisible to radar or light photography.
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.211166

EDIT 2: A Chinese university announced a satellite-borne lidar system in January of this year, and the Daqi-1 was launched in April of this year. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/sci...laser-powerful-small-enough-be-used-satellite
 
Last edited:
My guess: LIDAR. Can be used for highly detailed 3D mapping

EDIT: Interesting paper. It seems like it can be used to see details hidden by vegetation that would be invisible to radar or light photography.
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.211166

EDIT 2: A Chinese university announced a satellite-borne lidar system in January of this year, and the Daqi-1 was launched in April of this year. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/sci...laser-powerful-small-enough-be-used-satellite
This article confirms it is a lidar system and adds:
In the future, China will produce a series of Daqi satellites that will be used to monitor atmospheric pollution, as well as to support scientific research on global climate change. Daqi-1 will be networked with other satellites to implement greenhouse gas monitoring and help China reduce carbon emissions.
Now, it depends whether we believe China that they're only doing climate research, or believe The Sun that it's the start of WWIII. I don't think either are necessarily fully credible.

Also, bonus video!
https://universemagazine.com/en/nig...ellite-become-a-surprise-for-americans-video/
 
LiDAR systems have been around for a long time, being used to map the insides of caves, pyramids, tunnels etc etc etc.
The police have a special LiDAR tech for mapping out scenes of Road Traffic Accidents.
I am quite fond of the geo-mapping usage which can be found for various places, like (eg) Stonehenge.
It enables you to see minor undulations in the landscape which can reveal hidden earthworks etc (such as this one at 'Sketchfab')
https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/sto...gy-landscape-c15c247d4e6c462ca48b5276492c1b7c
 
The Side by Side mapping site lets you select LiDAR data (right hand side map series dropdown)

Be warned this website is addictive and a huge rabbit hole ...

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/sid...6.00000&lon=-4.00000&layers=1&right=ESRIWorld
I can second your warning. I've lost count of the times I've just wanted to have a quick look at something and then realised I'm still there a few hours later.
Whatever you do, don't start following disused railways......
 
@Bigphoot2 @TangletwigsDeux

Have you two found that it's more awkward to use now?
They have got rid of the map series I always used for the 'modern' map (on the right) and it's now difficult to find where you want to zoom in to.
 
@Bigphoot2 @TangletwigsDeux

Have you two found that it's more awkward to use now?
They have got rid of the map series I always used for the 'modern' map (on the right) and it's now difficult to find where you want to zoom in to.
I've always found it does have a bit of a clunky interface, I always thought it was me.
 
And lose there best market?
Indeed, and also a nation that has 600 overseas military bases, aircraft carrier fleets statioed around the oceans of the world, a huge nuclear arsenal and an alliance with nuclear actions such as the UK. It is not the 1940s and an attack on Pearl Harbor would be like throwing a stone at a Challenger tank
 
Back
Top