There’s been a flurry of reconnaissance satellites heading into orbit recently, partly in a race between South and North Korea to get eyes in the sky. So what are all those satellites doing up there?
The US launched a reconnaissance satellite into orbit on Tuesday, the second reconnaissance satellite to go up in as many days.
On Monday, South Korea sent its second into space, after the first went up in December. The country has a contract with SpaceX to send up three more reconnaissance satellites by 2025.
North Korea sent up its own in November and at the end of March, a North Korean official said the nation expects to launch several more reconnaissance satellites this year.
Leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to launch three additional military spy satellites in 2024.
So what are all those satellites doing up there?
Gaining military advantages
The National Reconnaissance Office in the US says it “uses satellites and other space-based capabilities to secure and expand America’s intelligence advantage”.
“Some of the earliest satellites were reconnaissance satellites,” Professor Erik Gartzke, the director of the Center for Peace and Security Studies at the University of California, told Sky News.
“During the Cold War, they allowed the Soviets and the United States to make arms control agreements that were enforceable because each side could see if the other side was cheating.
“Largely because of this technology, it became possible to have some of the first and most effective arms control agreements in world history.”
The UK has its own network of ‘Beyond Line of Sight communications’ called Skynet.
They are make sure the UK armed forces “get the right information at the right time,” according to Airbus, who runs the network.
These reconnaissance satellites are also being used to fight crime.
In 2021, Colombia’s notorious drug lord Otoniel was captured using satellite imagery analysed by experts from the UK, US and elsewhere.
North and South Korea have been more explicit about what their satellites are for.