الرئيسية
DENVER (AP) — A commercial U.S. satellite company said it has
captured a photo of China's first aircraft carrier in the Yellow Sea off
the Chinese coast.
DigitalGlobe Inc. said Wednesday one of its
satellites photographed the carrier Dec. 8. A DigitalGlobe analyst found
the image Tuesday while searching through photos.
Stephen Wood,
director of DigitalGlobe's analysis center, said he's confident the ship
is the Chinese carrier because of the location and date of the photo.
The carrier was on a sea trial at the time.
DigitalGlobe, based in
Longmont, Colorado, sells satellite imagery and analysis to clients
that include the U.S. military, emergency response agencies and private
companies. DigitalGlobe has three orbiting satellites and a fourth is
under construction.
The aircraft carrier has generated intense
international interest because of what it might portend about China's
intentions as a military power.
The former Soviet Union started
building the carrier, which it called the Varyag, but never finished it.
When the Soviet Union collapsed, it ended up in the hands of Ukraine, a
former Soviet republic.
China bought the ship from Ukraine in
1998 and spent years refurbishing it. It had no engines, weaponry or
navigation systems when China acquired it.
China has said the
carrier is intended for research and training, which has led to
speculation that it plans to build future copies.
captured a photo of China's first aircraft carrier in the Yellow Sea off
the Chinese coast.
DigitalGlobe Inc. said Wednesday one of its
satellites photographed the carrier Dec. 8. A DigitalGlobe analyst found
the image Tuesday while searching through photos.
Stephen Wood,
director of DigitalGlobe's analysis center, said he's confident the ship
is the Chinese carrier because of the location and date of the photo.
The carrier was on a sea trial at the time.
DigitalGlobe, based in
Longmont, Colorado, sells satellite imagery and analysis to clients
that include the U.S. military, emergency response agencies and private
companies. DigitalGlobe has three orbiting satellites and a fourth is
under construction.
The aircraft carrier has generated intense
international interest because of what it might portend about China's
intentions as a military power.
The former Soviet Union started
building the carrier, which it called the Varyag, but never finished it.
When the Soviet Union collapsed, it ended up in the hands of Ukraine, a
former Soviet republic.
China bought the ship from Ukraine in
1998 and spent years refurbishing it. It had no engines, weaponry or
navigation systems when China acquired it.
China has said the
carrier is intended for research and training, which has led to
speculation that it plans to build future copies.