BBS: TELESC.NET.BR
Assunto: China deploys Eye of Sauron
De: Mike Powell
Data: Sat, 18 Apr 2026 09:24:02 -0500
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'Global, 24/7, all-weather reconnaissance coverage': China deployed "Eye of
Sauron" satellite that can track ships -- and the US Navy -- from its safe sky
abode
Date:
Fri, 17 Apr 2026 23:30:00 +0000
Description:
China demonstrates geosynchronous satellite ship tracking, raising concerns
about persistent global surveillance and reduced concealment for naval
operations in contested waters.
FULL STORY
China has released radar images showing a
geosynchronous orbit satellite successfully tracking a moving maritime target
for the first time.
The satellite locked onto the Towa Maru, a 340 meter Japanese tanker
traversing rough seas near the Spratly Islands, from an altitude of 35,800
kilometers above Earth. This breakthrough could give Beijing continuous
surveillance of US naval fleets across every ocean.
How three satellites could achieve global coverage -- Unlike low-orbit
satellites that pass over a location for only minutes at a time, this
geosynchronous radar platform maintains a persistent watch despite cloud
cover, darkness, and severe ocean interference.
Lead researcher Hu Yuxin declared the new processing architecture could
isolate weak ship echoes from violent sea clutter at distances previously
considered physically impractical.
With just three such satellites positioned strategically, China could achieve
global, 24/7, all-weather reconnaissance coverage of high-value targets,
including US carrier strike groups.
To match this capability using conventional low-orbit systems, other
countries might need to deploy hundreds or even thousands of satellites.
The demonstration is especially consequential because American carrier strike
groups approaching Taiwan or the South China Sea could now be detected,
tracked, and targeted far earlier than previously assumed.
A surveillance architecture requiring only three satellites would also reduce
China's dependence on vulnerable low-orbit constellations, making its
maritime reconnaissance network substantially harder to disrupt during
wartime.
For Pentagon planners, the satellite's success represents not simply a
Chinese technical milestone, but the possible emergence of a new battlespace
in which concealment at sea may no longer exist.
The US Navy has long relied on weather, distance, and the predictable gaps
between low-orbit reconnaissance satellites to conceal operational movements.
If China integrates this capability with over-the-horizon radars, underwater
sensors, drones , and long-range anti-ship missiles, it could tighten its
surveillance network.
As a result, warning times for US naval commanders across the Indo-Pacific
could shrink dramatically.
The achievement threatens to shift the strategic competition between
Washington and Beijing - as it is no longer just about controlling sea lanes;
the focus is shifting toward dominance of orbital infrastructure that
determines who gains first visibility.
The technology is undeniably impressive, but a single successful tracking of
a commercial tanker does not automatically translate into reliable tracking
of evasive military vessels.
Geosynchronous radar must contend with enormous signal travel distances, and
adverse space weather or electronic countermeasures could degrade
performance.
China has not yet deployed the full three-satellite constellation, and the
timeline for operational capability remains unclear.
Via Defence Security Asia
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/global-24-7-all-weather-reconnaissance-coverage-
china-deployed-eye-of-sauron-satellite-that-can-track-ships-and-the-us-navy-fr
om-its-safe-sky-abode
$$
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* Origin: Capitol City Hub (1:2320/105)
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