In the quiet, secretive world of space spy satellites, very few details are made public, and agencies like the U.S. Space Force, National Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency like it that way.

There is an armada of classified spacecraft assigned to a range of discreet missions. Some intercept radio waves or detect missile launches, while others use sharp-sighted optical systems to peer into individual areas or scan the Earth with powerful radar technology.

Flying high in the sky, these satellites are attractive targets for amateur astrophotographers. That’s exactly the case for experienced space observer Felix Schöfbanker from Upper Austria. “My photos revealed a number of things that were definitely not known or only guessed at,” he says.

Over the past few months, Chefbanker has caught several hidden spy satellites with his 14-inch Dobsonian telescope, which is optimized for tracking satellites and taking photos from home. He shares his findings and what they indicate as he looks at the images.

Schofbanker’s focus, for example, is on the next generation of U.S. optical and radar imaging satellites launched into space by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which develops, launches and operates spy satellites on behalf of the U.S. federal government.

Recorded on camera

The Future Imaging Architecture (FIA) radars, also known as Topaz, are five American spy satellites carrying synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging radars. This technology can see through clouds and operates day and night. They are the successors to the SAR Lacrosse/Onyx series satellites.

“From my photographs I conclude that these satellites have parabolic mesh antennas of about 12 meters in diameter [39 футів] and 2 solar panels with a wingspan of approximately 10 meters [33 фути]”, – points out Schofbanker.

“There is another bright object between the solar panels and I interpret it as the uplink antenna, but it could also be something else,” he added.

These SAR satellites create images by sending out a series of pulses and then applying computer processing to convert the received signals into images, Schöfbanker said.

“The antenna of the FIA ​​radars can be directed both to the left and to the right in relation to the orbit. I have observed these satellites a total of 28 times,” Schöfbanker said. “The antenna was directed only to the left six times and to the right 22 times,” he noted.