September 24, 2020

It's a Bird, a Plane... nope, a Secret Chinese Spacecraft


It's a Bird, a Plane... nope, a Secret Chinese Spacecraft
Radio signals helped a Russian citizen detect something rather odd from space. Image by Richard Bartz via Wikimedia Commons

It would seem that all you need to detect secret state information is an antenna and a radio receiver. One radio fan in Russia, Dmitry Pashkov, was using his radio when he stumbled upon data that turned out to be from a secret Chinese spacecraft.

Pashkov works as a system administrator, and in his free time, he works on detecting signals on a cosmic scale. Recently, he detected data being transferred from a Chinese secret spacecraft that even the US Aerospace Defense Command did not detect. According to Pashkov, “I wrote about this because many experts were interested in what the PRC brought out there - either a solar battery, or a compartment, but most likely it is a solar battery, because it is logical to test it, as the United States is doing.” It took Pashkov six days to detect the signal and another three days to confirm it.

The spacecraft was launched from China on September 4, but not much else is known about it.  China’s official news agency labeled the spacecraft a “breakthrough,” but its goals and capabilities are unknown.

Tags: chinaradio
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955