Chinese scientists have developed a new “spy camera” system that can recognize human faces from low Earth orbit.

Chinese scientists have developed the world’s most powerful spy camera capable of recognizing human faces from low Earth orbit. Developed by the Space Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the technology offers millimeter-level resolution from a distance of 100 kilometers, changing the global surveillance standards.

Optical imaging technology could provide the Chinese government with unprecedented detail in monitoring foreign military satellites and defense structures on Earth.

The laser imaging system achieved a resolution 100 times higher than existing spy cameras that use lenses.

When tested over a distance of 101.8 kilometers over Qinghai Lake, the new Chinese camera was able to show details as small as 1.7 millimeters from the other side of the lake.