Korla East Test Site in China shows a pattern of engaging foreign satellites with directed energy weapons in BlackSky's intra-day images.

中国库尔勒东部试验场在 “黑色天空”（BlackSky）公司的日内图像中显示了使用定向能武器与外国卫星交战的模式。

 

May 1, 2023

By Andrew Salerno-Garthwaite

2023年5月1日

作者：安德鲁·萨莱诺-加斯韦特

 

The Korla East Test Site, where China is suspected of using anti-satellite laser weapons against foreign satellites. Photo courtesy of BlackSky.

在库尔勒东部试验场，中国被怀疑使用反卫星激光武器对抗外国卫星。照片由“黑色天空”公司提供。

 

New intra-day satellite imagery of the Korla East Test Site in Xinjiang, China, shows the operation of laser anti-satellite weapons (ASAT) to engage with Western satellites.

中国新疆库尔勒东部试验场的新一天内卫星图像显示了激光反卫星武器（ASAT）与西方卫星的交战。

 

The satellite imagery from geospatial intelligence company BlackSky has uncovered a pattern of behaviour at the Korla East Test Site that is consistent with China’s development of technology to disrupt, destroy or hijack foreign satellites, as mentioned in the recent US intelligence breach.

地理空间情报公司“黑色天空”公司的卫星图像发现了库尔勒东部试验场的一种运作模式，这与中国破坏、摧毁或劫持外国卫星的技术发展相一致，正如美国最近的情报泄露所提到的那样。

 

Army Technology has reviewed satellites images of Korla East Test Site featuring two laser gimbals with supporting infrastructure, housed within separate hangars with retractable roofs, to the north and south of the compound, confirming the view that this site holds ASAT weapons. The evidence suggests a pattern of opening the hangars to operate the ASAT lasers around solar noon, the time when foreign imaging satellites are most active. 

陆军技术部审查了库尔勒东部试验场的卫星图像，其中包括两个带辅助基础设施的激光万向节，位于试验场北部和南部的带可伸缩屋顶的独立机库内，证实了该试验场拥有反卫星武器的观点。有证据表明，在太阳正午前后，即外国成像卫星最活跃的时候，会打开机库来操作反卫星激光器。

 

Image of the Korla East Test Site with the northern and southern hangers visible with their roofs retracted. Credit: BlackSky

库尔勒东部试验场的图片，可以看到北部和南部的吊架，它们的屋顶被收回。来源：“黑色天空”公司

 

According to satellite tracking data for a sample of days within the observation period, a large number of satellite companies orbited within line of sight of the facility during active ASAT periods, including SpaceX’s Starlink communications satellites, and constellations of commercial geo-imaging satellites that include the companies Spire and Planet Labs. National military satellites may also have been active in the region during this time, but their orbits are not public knowledge.

根据观测期内几天的卫星跟踪数据，在反卫星武器活动期间，大量卫星公司在该设施的视线范围内环绕运行，包括SpaceX公司的星链通信卫星，以及包括Spire公司和Planet Labs公司在内的商业地理成像卫星星座。在此期间，国家军事卫星可能也在该地区活动，但其轨道并不为公众所知。

 

The use of ASAT systems at the Korla East Test Site is in line with details that emerged from the leak of classified CIA documents in April 2023. The Financial Times reported the documents included concerns that China is developing technology “to seize control of a satellite, rendering it ineffective to support communications, weapons, or intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems”. 

在库尔勒东部试验场使用反卫星系统与2023年4月中央情报局机密文件泄露的细节一致。据英国《金融时报》报道，这些文件包括担心中国正在开发技术来“控制卫星，使其在支持通信、武器或情报、监视和侦察系统方面无效”。

 

The ASAT located at Korla East Test Site are laser directed-energy weapons that have uses that may vary from dazzling and disrupting a satellite’s communications and optical sensors, to heating a target for a separate engagement with heat-seeking missiles, or even directly destroying satellite components.

位于库尔勒东部试验场的反卫星武器是激光定向能武器，其用途可能多种多样，从致盲和干扰卫星的通信和光学传感器，到加热目标以与热寻的导弹单独交战，甚至直接摧毁卫星部件。

 

Laser ASAT could also be used to harvest data from a satellite by spoofing an encrypted point-to-point laser information transfer, as described by Neil Sherwin-Peddie, head of space security BAE Systems Digital Intelligence, after the company forecasted the first major hack of a satellite in 2023. “The adversary can use satellite blinding as these satellites pass to capture critical imagery or radio frequency data.”

正如BAE系统数字情报公司空间安全主管尼尔·舍温-佩迪所描述的那样，激光反卫星武器还可以通过欺骗加密的点对点激光信息传输来从卫星上获取数据，此前该公司预测2023年将发生第一次卫星重大黑客攻击。“当这些卫星经过时，对手可以使用卫星致盲来捕捉关键图像或射频数据。”

 

EMP generator and aerostat blimp also at site

电磁脉冲（EMP）发生器和浮空器飞艇也在现场

 

Other features in the imagery from the desert-based Korla East Test Site are also raising questions. 

位于沙漠中的库尔勒东部试验场的图像中的其他特征也引起了人们的质疑。

 

Co-located with ASATs at the facility are an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) generator used in research to protect and harden technology against nuclear EMP incidents; and a newly discovered aerostat military blimp, captured for the first time at Korla East by BlackSky. Given the size of the aircraft, roughly 31m in length, the aerostat is thought to be either a CA-30R or CA-32R.

在该设施与反卫星武器共处一地的是一个电磁脉冲发生器，用于研究保护和强化技术以防核电磁脉冲事件；以及一艘新发现的浮空器军用飞艇，首次在库尔勒东部被“黑色天空”公司捕获。考虑到飞行器的尺寸，大约31米长，浮空器被认为是CA-30R或CA-32R。

 

An intelligence analyst familiar with the location and imagery said this was of interest because a military organisation would not normally house these unusual and unrelated technologies in the same remote location without a shared purpose or interconnection between them.

一位熟悉位置和图像的情报分析师表示，这很有意思，因为如果没有共同的目的或相互关联，军事组织通常不会在同一个偏远地区部署这些不寻常和不相关的技术。

 

The electromagnetic pulse research site at Korla East Test Site is located 3km south of the main facility, and its distinctive appearance is similar to the Nuclear Electromagnetic Pulse test system in Switzerland build by Montena Technology. These systems use horizontally polarised dipoles to simulate an EMP attack and can be used to test equipment for its resistance against such electronic warfare. 

位于库尔勒东部试验场的电磁脉冲研究基地位于主设施以南3公里处，其独特的外观与蒙特纳技术公司在瑞士建造的核电磁脉冲试验系统相似。这些系统使用水平极化偶极子来模拟电磁脉冲攻击，并可用于测试其设备以抵抗这种电子战。

 

The Electromagnetic pulse research site to the south of Korla East Test Site. Credit: BlackSky. 

位于库尔勒东部试验场以南的电磁脉冲研究场。来源：“黑色天空”公司。

 

An aerostat is a platform that naturally lends itself to EMP protection, according to a 1997 Whitehall Paper journal article on the subject, with blimps’ capacity to remain airborne not vulnerable to this form of electronic warfare in the same manner that other aircraft would be susceptible, although many electronic subsystems would still need ruggedisation. The CA-30R and CA-32R are remotely controlled blimps capable of being adapter for aerial survey, photography, and surveillance missions. They have small gondolas that are not equipped with controls for an onboard pilot. 

根据1997年《Whitehall Paper》期刊上一篇关于这一主题的文章，浮空器是一种自然适用于电磁脉冲保护的平台，尽管许多电子子系统仍需要加固，但飞艇在空中保持的能力不会像其他飞机一样容易受到这种形式的电子战的影响。CA-30R和CA-32R是远程控制的飞艇，能够作为空中勘测、摄影和监视任务的适配器。他们的小型吊舱没有配备机载飞行员的控制装置。

 

The white roof of the Aerostat blimp and its shadow, visible to the left of the runway to its open-air hangar, at the Korla East Test Site. Credit: BlackSky.

在库尔勒东部试验场的露天机库跑道左侧，可以看到浮空器飞艇的白色顶部及其阴影。来源：“黑色天空”公司。

 

The aerostat blimp, believed to be either a CA-30R or a CA-32R, with its support fin visible in its shadow. Credit: BlackSky.

浮空器飞艇，据信是CA-30R或CA-32R，其支撑鳍在其阴影中可见。来源：“黑色天空”公司。

 

Geospatial intelligence analysis of the Korla East Test Site

库尔勒东部试验场地理空间情报分析

 

BlackSky operates a constellation of 16 satellites that orbit along the Earth’s equator, in contrast to conventional geospatial intelligence companies that operate satellite constellations with polar orbits. Although the area covered by BlackSky’s unusual pattern of orbits is smaller, it still captures 95% of the human activity related to gross domestic production worldwide.

“黑色天空”公司运营着一个由16颗卫星组成的星座，沿着地球赤道运行，而传统的地理空间情报公司则运营着极地轨道的卫星星座。尽管“黑色天空”公司不同寻常的轨道模式覆盖的面积较小，但它仍然占据了全球95%的与国内生产总值相关的人类活动。

 

This pattern of orbit also means that the BlackSky constellation can return to a site with a much higher frequency. Most people on earth will be under a BlackSky satellite every hour, and BlackSky can return satellite imagery within 90 minutes of any request. The industry standard elsewhere is to handle requests within a few days or a week.  

这种轨道模式也意味着“黑色天空”星座可以返回频率高得多的地点。地球上的大多数人每小时都会在“黑色天空”卫星下，“黑色天空”可以在接到任何请求后90分钟内返回卫星图像。其他地方的行业标准是在几天或一周内处理请求。

 

Up until this point analysis of the activity pattern on the site had been hampered by latency and infrequent observation, but BlackSky’s low-latency satellite constellation allowed for intra-day collections, capturing 200 images at Korla East Test Site, with observations made in a sample of all daylight hours across the period of 24 April to 9 June 2022.

到目前为止，对现场活动模式的分析一直受到延迟和不频繁观测的阻碍，但“黑色天空”的低延迟卫星星座允许在日内进行收集，在库尔勒东部试验场拍摄了200张图像，并在2022年4月24日至6月9日期间的所有白天进行了观测。

 

An intelligence analyst familiar with the location and imagery found increased laser ASAT activity around solar noon – the time-of-day conventional satellites collect images for intelligence operations. 

一位熟悉位置和图像的情报分析员发现，在太阳正午前后，激光反卫星活动有所增加，这是一天中传统卫星为情报行动收集图像的时间。 

 

The most intense periods of activity were between 10am and 1pm, when a total of 46 images were collected. For example, in the 19 images collected just between 10am and 11am, the northern hangar was open to allow the laser ASAT to engage with satellites in every instance, and the southern hanger was open 89% of the time. 

活动最剧烈的时段是上午10点到下午1点，共收集了46张图像。例如，在上午10点至11点之间收集的19张图像中，北部机库是开放的，允许激光反卫星武器在任何情况下与卫星交战，而南部机库89%的时间是开放的。

 

For other companies in the commercial geospatial intelligence industry, the period around solar noon is the optimal time for capturing and collecting images of the ground to avoid the blocking effects of shadows. Most image collection in the commercial industry occurs in this time, and the uptick in activity at the Korla East Testing Site at this point suggests the use of the ASAT to engage with this class of satellite. 

对于商业地理空间智能行业的其他公司来说，太阳正午前后是捕捉和收集地面图像的最佳时间，以避免阴影的遮挡效果。商业行业的大多数图像收集都发生在这一时期，库尔勒东部试验场的活动在这一点上有所增加，这表明使用反卫星武器与这类卫星进行交战。

 

This trend is underscored by the observations BlackSky made between 5am and 6am, when long shadows make commercial observation operations unlikely. Of the 10 observations made in this interval neither hangar containing an ASAT was open at any point. The data also showed a rise in the percentage of hangar openings for the northern ASAT weapon later in the day. It is possible that this corresponds to a rise in activity for satellites without publicly logged orbits, such as military and national government satellites.

“黑色天空”在凌晨5点至6点之间进行的观测突显了这一趋势，当时长时间的阴影使商业观测操作变得不太可能。在这段时间内进行的10次观测中，装有反卫星武器的机库在任何时候没有一个是打开的。数据还显示，当天晚些时候，北方反卫星武器的机库开口百分比有所上升。这可能与没有公开记录轨道的卫星（如军事和国家政府卫星）的活动增加相对应。

 

In images viewed by Army Technology, the ASAT lasers are visible within the hangar when the roof is retracted. The laser has two large shoulders and a protruding lens, similar in outline to the China-made Silent Hunter low altitude laser air defence system, demonstrated at the 2017 International Defence Exhibition & Conference. The major difference is the size of the systems. The Silent Hunter is a car mounted tactical system, while the of the ASAT system visible at Korla East Testing Site is much larger, closer in size to a system that would be mounted on a naval vessel. The southern hangar containing a laser also featured a forward door, suggesting the laser was also tested to engage targets at ground level. 

在陆军科技公司看到的图像中，当库顶缩回时，可以在机库内看到反卫星激光。该激光器有两个大肩状支架和一个突出的透镜，外形与2017年国际防务展览会上展示的中国制造的“无声猎人”低空激光防空系统相似。主要区别在于系统的大小。“无声猎人”是一种车载战术系统，而在库尔勒东部试验场可见的反卫星系统要大得多，尺寸更接近安装在海军舰艇上的系统。装有激光的南部机库也有一扇前门，这表明激光也被测试用于打击地面目标。

 

The building layout at Korla East Testing is consistent with other locations in China that have advanced laser capabilities. Both hangers are connected by pipelines to large hemispherical buildings that resemble constructions at the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics and the Anhui Institute of Optical and Fine Mechanics. These domed structures are known to house gas required during the operation of lasers. 

库尔勒东部试验场的建筑布局与中国其他拥有先进激光能力的地点一致。两个吊架都通过管道连接到大型半球形建筑上，这些建筑类似于中国工程物理研究院和安徽光学与精细力学研究所的建筑。已知这些圆顶结构容纳激光器操作期间所需的气体。

 

An intelligence analyst familiar with the location and imagery said that within and around the hangars it was possible to identify transportable modules resembling an EMP protected system that is often found in forward operating locations for mission critical functions such as command, control, and communications.

一位熟悉该位置和图像的情报分析师说，在机库内部和周围可以识别出类似EMP保护系统的可移动模块，该模块通常出现在前方操作位置，用于任务关键功能，如指挥、控制和通信。

 

Korla East Test Site Designation

库尔勒东部试验场命名

 

The Korla East Test Site was first built in 2003 and has seen a great deal of expansion since then, but much of the construction history prior to 2005 remains undocumented.

库尔勒东部试验场始建于2003年，自那以后进行了大量扩建，但2005年之前的大部分建设历史仍然没有记录。

 

Research conducted by Jeffrey Lewis, a member of the State Department International Security Advisory Board, and Eli Hayes, published on Arms Control Wonk, suggested that the Korla East Test Site is managed by a previously unidentified unit. This assessment is based on an analysis of research published by the unit and geographical evidence supporting it being located at this point. 

美国国务院国际安全咨询委员会成员杰弗里·刘易斯和伊莱·海耶斯发表在Arms Control Wonk网站上的研究表明，库尔勒东部试验场由一个以前未被确认的单位管理。这一评估是基于对该单位发表的研究结果的分析和支持它目前所处的位置的地理证据。

 

Upon examination, Lewis and Hayes found that the patents assigned to Unit can be classified into three primary categories: studies delving into lasers and optics; studies into stratospheric airships of considerable size; and studies of high-powered microwaves. In their account, Hayes and Lewis said that Korla East Test Site is the only site that has the capacity to host infrastructure for these three categories of research. Furthermore, the unit has released meteorological analyses with a primary emphasis on the regions surrounding the Bosten Lake vicinity, located immediately to the north of the Korla East Test Site.

经过检查，刘易斯和海耶斯发现，分配给该单位的专利可以分为三类：主要是对激光和光学的研究；对相当大的平流层飞艇的研究；以及高功率微波的研究。在他们的报告中，海耶斯和刘易斯说，库尔勒东部试验场是唯一有能力为这三类研究提供基础设施的地点。此外，该单位还发布了气象分析，重点是位于库尔勒东部试验场北部的博斯滕湖附近地区。