Mysterious Chinese Test Satellite Imaged Just Before Destruction

One surprising aspect of the past decade's enormous proliferation of objects in orbit is the fact that so many of these objects are unknown to all but the country that launched them. Safety requires that their basic position and trajectory be known by everyone, but states are under no obligation to offer more insight than that.

Now, a Chinese test satellite called Xinjishu Yanzheng-7 (XJY-7) has been spied during its final reentry, offering some of the first insights into its function. It also shows the future of imaging in space, and that states can't necessarily hide orbital technology as easily as they once could.

The observation comes from an odd little Australian company called HEO, which specializes in "non-Earth imagery"—AKA capturing pictures of objects in orbit. It openly pitches itself as a government contractor for defense projects, but also claims that it could "help satellite operators."

The ...