An avid sky spectator from Austria photographed a top secret ballistic capsule found by the Pentagon that ’s like no other he ’s interpret before .
Astrophotographer Felix Schöfbänker used a 14 - in Dobsonian scope to capture the figure of speech of the satellite , which is know as USA 290 . He shares his paradigm onAstroBin , an image host platform for amateur astronomer .
Unlike other undercover agent satellites he ’s shoot before , this one caught Schöfbänker ’s attention because it had a dissimilar aim and follow a unique orbit , hetoldSpace.com . The satellite establish in 2019 on board a Delta IV rocket . It ’s described as “ a top secret surveillance freight owned by the National Reconnaissance Office ( NRO ) , ” grant toNASA . USA 290 , however , does n’t look like aKH-11 , or the most common example of spy orbiter launched by the U.S.
An amateur astronomer caught this rare glimpse of a Pentagon satellite.Felix Schöfbänker
“ My image show a different form of intention , which does n’t await like a typical KH-11 . My image shows a enceinte , roughly 5 meter long rectangular panel , ” Schöfbänker told Space.com . The amateur astronomer also notice that , while most KH-11s are launched into a sunshine - synchronous orbit , in which a satellite passes over any move over blot on Earth at the same local time , USA 290 fall out a “ foreign orbit . ”
The image of USA 290 also shows a 16 - foot - long panel ( 5 meters ) , another feature that ’s unequaled to this picky spy satellite . The structure could be a solar panel , although Schöfbänker mark that it ’s fixed to the satellite therefore it would require the entire space vehicle to move to track the Sun . Other possibility include a radiator to act as a cooling system , or an array antenna for signal intelligence , according to the amateur sky watcher , Space.com reported .
This is n’t Schöfbänker ’s first time give chase thing in space that were meant to abide classified . in the beginning last month , theastrophotographer caught a rarified coup d’oeil of China ’s top secret spaceplane in eye socket . The reusable spacecraft set in motion on December 14 , 2023 on a secretive mission that lasted for 268 days before itwrapped up its third flight on September 5 .
A view of the classified spy satellite. Credit: Felix Schöfbänker
recreational astronomyspy satellites
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