Drone Pilot Jailed for Four Months for Taking Photos of Space Force Base
A Chinese national has been sentenced to jail for flying a drone over and taking photos of a U.S. Space Force base.
Last week, Yinpiao Zhou, a 39-year-old U.S. permanent resident who lives in Brentwood, California, was sentenced to four months in prison with a year of supervised release to follow.
According to the Orange County Register cited by Space.com, Zhou will also be required to pay $225 in fines.
The U.S. Justice Department says Zhou flew a drone over the base and took aerial photographs over the Vandenberg Space Base in California on November 30. He did this on the same day SpaceX launched a rocket on behalf of the National Reconnaissance Office.
“This defendant allegedly flew a drone over a military base and took photos of the base’s layout, which is against the law,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada says in a statement.
“The security of our nation is of paramount importance and my office will continue to promote the safety of our nation’s military personnel and facilities.”
Drone detection systems at Vandenberg Space Base tracked Zhou’s drone which flew for 59 minutes and traveled to an altitude of almost one mile above ground level to the nearby Ocean Park.
Vandenberg Space Base security personnel immediately went to the park where they allegedly found Zhou with the same drone concealed in his jacket.
Federal agents later searched Zhou’s drone and discovered several photographs of Vandenberg Space Force Base taken from an aerial viewpoint. He allegedly took images of SpaceX rocket pads and other sensitive areas.
Zhou was arrested at San Francisco International Airport on Monday as he waited to board a flight back to China.
Reports of drone incursions over sensitive U.S. military sites have been rising in recent years, though the U.S. government has not publicly identified any specific group or individual as responsible.
In February, a 71-year-old Canadian tourist was charged with allegedly using a drone to photograph classified U.S. defense installations. Xiao Guang Pan is accused of taking aerial photographs of sensitive and vital military facilities and equipment in Brevard County, Florida on three separate days in January.
The U.S. Justice Department also charged a different Chinese national under the Espionage Act for taking photos of a military installation using a drone. He allegedly took pictures of a shipyard where United States military personnel build nuclear submarines.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
