CNN has reviewed satellite imagery showing the development of a 100-foot-long spacecraft.
By Amaury Coutansais-Pervinquiere
Published 5/2/2023 at 10:51 AM, updated 5/2/2023 at 11:02 AM
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The Chinese spy balloon was shot down off South Carolina on February 4th. RANDALL HILL/Portal
China, whose spy balloons sparked panic in the US in early February, has developed an airship, CNN reports. The broadcaster was able to consult satellite images taken by the American company BlackSky in a desert in the northwest of the country, the location of which is not disclosed. His photos were taken three months before the spy balloon was launched off South Carolina.
The aircraft is approximately 30 meters (100 feet) long and would be close to a one kilometer long runway and a hangar more than 270 meters long. It could be used as a “submarine of the skies,” Oklahoma Aerospace Institute executive director Jamey Jacobs, when asked by our colleagues. Propulsion and navigation capabilities have been specially developed, the channel adds, allowing it to navigate for long periods. “This is the next step for China in terms of technical development and research funding support,” added Jamey Jacobs.
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Airships are “cheaper … and provide more accurate information” than satellites and “less sensitive” than airplanes, according to a 2018 report by the Rand Corporation, a think tank closely linked to the US military. Chinese intelligence declined to respond.