China is stepping up its underwater surveillance, working now to develop a powerful laser satellite that could one day be capable of targeting submarines transiting the ocean 500 meters below the surface, a feat that hasn't been accomplished before.
The deepest a laser device has been able to penetrate through ocean water and still provide reliable results so far is 200 meters, a depth record set by a device created by the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), according to the South China Morning Post.
Beijing's new effort, which began in May, was launched by the Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology in Shandong Province, the Post reported Monday, noting that an additional 20 institutes and universities in the country are working on designing the satellite.
If successful, the satellite's laser beam could zero in on a submarine and shoot back pulses to the satellite that would be analyzed to pinpoint the vessel's location, three-dimensional shape and speed. The beams, used in conjunction with microwave radar technology, would be able to scan areas as wide as roughly 100 kilometers or focus on areas measuring just 1 kilometer.
However, not all is likely to go smoothly, since the Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) technology being used to scan the ocean could create some troubles for officials. According to the Post, obstacles including clouds, fog, murky waters and fish could cause the satellite to report false submarine detections or just flat out fail to produce results due to the beam's inability to penetrate deep into the waters.
The matter of the beam being deflected is a top concern among officials, with some suggesting that the project's hope of penetrating some 500 meters below the surface is just not possible.
"Five hundred meters is 'mission impossible,'" an anonymous lidar scientist from the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics who is not involved with the project told the publication. "[Project researchers] won't be able to break through the darkness guarded by Mother Nature - unless of course they are Tom Cruise, armed with some secret weapons."
Beijing's decision to proceed with the project is a potential breakthrough offered by a new, as-yet-unexplained "innovative approach" that hasn't been attempted in the past, a scientist involved in the project told the Hong Kong-based outlet.
Presently, it's unclear when the satellite is intended to go live. Zhang Tinglu, a researcher who spoke on the record and is involved in the project, told the Post that "there's still heaps of problems that we need to solve."
As China prepares to dive deeper with its underwater surveillance capabilities, the nation is also looking to expand its goals in space. China's lunar program, which is expected include four moon missions, will see its first leg begin by the end of the year, Sputnik previously reported.
Source: Sputnik News
Related Links
Military Space News
Naval Warfare in the 21st Century
| Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.</span> |
||
| SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal |
 |
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only |
HII receives $104M contract for nuclear submarine engineering
Washington (UPI) Sep 18, 2018
Huntington Ingalls in Newport News, Va., has received a $104.2 million contract modification for engineering, technical, design, logistics, research and development, modernization and industrial services for nuclear submarines. Work on the contract, announced Monday by the Department of Defense, will be performed in Newport News, Va., and is expected to be completed by September 2019. Navy fiscal 2018 procurement funding in the amount of $981,700 will be obligated at time of award. Newpo ... read more
from Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense https://ift.tt/2IwiKmL
via space News
No comments: