Tuesday, December 10, 2019

The New Nuclear Sleuths

Very recommendable! Fascinating, well written story! The article is perhaps a little short on how much cheaper satellite imagery helps these nuclear watchdogs.

The article also raises a serious concerns as to what extent their discoveries help or aide rogue regimes to improve the cover up of their nuclear activities. It's a new arms race of sorts.

"Spy satellites still offer better resolutions and capabilities. But today’s commercial satellites are narrowing the gap, offering image resolutions that are roughly 900 percent better than what they were just 15 years ago—sharp enough to distinguish different types of cars driving along a road and capture certain indicators of equipment used in nuclear-weapons programs. ... What’s more, constellations of small satellites can fly over the same location multiple times a day, identifying changes on the ground in near–real time. Already, a San Francisco start-up called Planet has more than 150 satellites in orbit. Seattle-based BlackSky, which launched in 2013, has 60 satellites and says it flies over major cities 40 to 70 times a day. Perhaps most important, the costs of acquiring satellite imagery have plummeted—just as computing and communication power has been radically democratized."

The New Nuclear Sleuths - The Atlantic: Nuclear intelligence isn’t just for government agencies anymore. A motley crew of outside watchdogs has found creative ways to deter proliferation.

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