My new article is online. This will be in three parts. Part 1 is mostly about the Samos E-5. Part 2 will mostly be about the KH-6 LANYARD, and part 3 will be about the Samos E-6 and SPARTAN. thespacereview.com/article/5281/1
Harry Stranger
@spacefromspace.com
Satellite images past and present 🛰️ Building an archive of interactive declassified spy satellite images 🕵️ https://spacefromspace.com
🚀 A high-res satellite image from Vantor, captured on August 3, showing Ship 40 secured alongside the Normand Ranger in the Indian Ocean. The imagery shows SpaceX's post-splashdown recovery operations in action. Explore the map: soaratlas.com/maps/142237 #SpaceX #Starship
This will be a fun one, including some newly scanned images.
Dwayne Day@kennen11.bsky.social · 3d agoMy next Space Review article will be a multi-part history of the KH-6 LANYARD reconnaissance satellite. LANYARD was derived from the failed Samos E-5 satellite.
I've been getting a lot of reminders lately as to why I pivoted my site's main focus from current satellite images of spaceports to historical declassified satellite imagery of locations all over the world. Aside from my personal interests, it was definitely the right call.
AI *cannot* generate information that’s not in the original raw data. Sharpening adds detail that is pleasing to the human eye, not genuinely new features. 🛰️🖼️
Fresh of the scanner: A KH-9 HEXAGON satellite image of Kaspiysk, USSR taken on October 28, 1983, shows at least three variants of 'KM' aka the Caspian Sea Monster. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspian...
Following a request from my friends at @nasaspaceflight.com, we attempted to capture the splashed down SpaceX Starship in the Indian Ocean using Umbra satellites. We seem to have caught it and its recovery ship. 2026-07-27 03:56 UTC. spacefromspace.com/spaceport-im...
Vladivostok is one hell of an interesting place to look at from above. Taken on Feb 2, 1967, by a KH-7 GAMBIT satellite. I wouldn't mind having a house in the 3rd picture and watch the planes go down the street. Full image: spacefromspace.com/declassified...
🔎 Calling all #OSINT investigators! We've upgraded our default satellite filter. Compared to traditional imagery, it cuts through atmospheric haze, boosts contrast, and makes it faster to identify changes. Give it a try and see the difference: 👉 soaratlas.com/satellites
Since it's still the 21st in some places we can pretend I didn't forget to share this again. One of my all-time favourite HEXAGON captures: spacefromspace.com/declassified...
Harry Stranger@spacefromspace.com · last yr.One of my favourite KH-9 HEXAGON images was taken 47 years ago yesterday (July 21). The scene shows an awesome high off-nadir view of Florida's Space Coast including NASA's VAB, a Saturn V rocket display, and more.
Some really cool photos of CORONA systems (KH-1, KH-4, KH-4A, KH-4B) from NRO History in Photos (2024) - 156 pages of awesome. www.nro.gov/Portals/135/...
52 years ago today (July 20), a KH-9 HEXAGON satellite on mission 1208 passed over Cyprus and captured Turkish forces landing on the shore near Kyrenia. An article about this and more with @kennen11.bsky.social: thespacereview.com/article/5049/1 The full image: spacefromspace.com/declassified...
About 24hrs before the launch of Vikram-1 I submitted a task to Umbra for a capture of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India. The result? An incredibly crisp capture just 8 minutes before the launch. Couldn't be happier 🛰️ Full image: spacefromspace.com/spaceport-im...
SpaceNews @spacenewsinc.bsky.social · 3w agoSkyroot Aerospace reaches orbit on first Vikram-1 launch Skyroot Aerospace’s Vikram-1 rocket successfully lifted off on its inaugural flight July 18, becoming the first commercial Indian rocket to reach orbit....
Just entered the processing queue: Yizhou, Xinjiang, China, captured by a KH-7 GAMBIT spy satellite on 1967-02-06.
This full 17 image mosaic of North Korea from 1965 is now live and fully browsable: spacefromspace.com/declassified...
Harry Stranger@spacefromspace.com · 2mo agoIt's a lot of georeferencing but should be cool when it's done! About halfway through right now. Images taken August 23, 1965.
You know how they say you shouldn't have favourite children..? This is only due to KH-7 images being the easiest to process (and favouritism)
The newest satellite capture to monitor activity at Cape Canaveral is now live: spacefromspace.com/spaceport-im... Captured at 2026-07-02 13:10:29 UTC. These expensive orders are funded with the help of the community. You can help too! www.patreon.com/c/spacefroms...
I've been busy with some projects lately so I haven't had much time for declassified imagery. So here's an Umbra SAR video of cleanup operations at LC-36 the other day.
During the Cold War, the United States used satellites to monitor how many F-14 Tomcats remained in the Iranian air force. You can read about it in the next article from Harry Stranger and myself in this week's The Space Review.
My next article with Harry Stranger is about this topic. Satellite reconnaissance of Iranian F-14 Tomcats during the Cold War.
View Sentinel and Landsat satellite imagery in 3D with just a click of a button. Annotate and record video tours to share online. All inside your browser👉: soaratlas.com/satellites What do you think? Where would you explore in 3D?
My new article with Harry is up. It is about ships stranded in the Suez Canal in 1967. Photographed by reconnaissance satellites. History rhymes. thespacereview.com/article/5249/1
My next article with Harry Stranger in next week's Space Review will be about these ships--1973 and 2026. They have something in common.
A destroyed Space Launch Complex 6 at Vandenberg seen in SAR via @umbra.space. At least the hills around the complex still provide some beauty. Full image: spacefromspace.com/spaceport-im...
It's a lot of georeferencing but should be cool when it's done! About halfway through right now. Images taken August 23, 1965.
You can now view any of the 1,300+ satellite images I've uploaded to Soar in 3D! soaratlas.com/profile/spac... Map in the image: soaratlas.com/3D?mapId=140...
Soar@soaratlas.bsky.social · 2mo ago📣3D Mode is LIVE on Soar Atlas! 🌍 Explore 1M+ maps 3D 🛰️ View the latest satellite imagery in 3D 📍 Annotate with markers, text, and 3D models 🎥 Record fly-throughs and share discoveries All inside your browser: soaratlas.com Open any map → Click "View in 3D"