Spies in the Sky: The Ultimate Guide to Spy Satellites and Their Secrets
The CORONA program began US satellite photo-reconnaissance in 1959, with Discoverer XIV’s mid-air film recovery in 1960. By early 2024, China’s Yaogan constellation reached 144 satellites, including sub-meter optical variants. Cosmos 954, a Soviet RORSAT, scattered radioactive debris over Canada in 1978. Over 1,100 active Earth-observation satellites orbited by 2025, more than half commercially owned.