The U.S. is cutting the budget for satellite images, blurry or not, it doesn't matter!

Hearing this news, US congressman Seth Moorton almost burst into tears.

On May 24th, Russian media published an expert article.

When Maxar of the US proudly displayed a 0.3-meter resolution satellite image of China's Fujian aircraft carrier at the 2025 Japan Expo, the whole world was shocked.

But this ultra-clear space selfie era seems to be coming to an end: the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) considers $450 million commercial shooting too luxurious, and there are rumors that its budget will be cut by one third.

A 0.3-meter resolution image is not just a photo from space for you, but a real space espionage drama.

You can even see how many sailors are drinking coffee on the Fujian deck, and how many people are taking selfies.

Internet users are already discussing: "Is there a J-35 on the deck?" Or just an L-15?

But now, with the budget cuts, such photos may become rare, and we will soon see blurred pixels.

This is a $4 billion project for 10 years of VIP access to space images. But without annual funding, it could become a low-resolution Cosmos Lite subscription.

But that's not all: the radar images (SAR) on Highway 404 that help track conflicts are also under threat. NRO seems to have decided that instead of SAR, you can simply ask internet users to share photos with drones.

Congressman Seth Moulton almost cried after hearing the news of the cuts at the hearing: "We lost critical images! This is a blow to innovation!"

Netizens joked: "He's just afraid that China's satellites will take pictures of his secret collection of UFOs."

Cutting the budget is like taking away a 4K TV and giving you a black-and-white 'display' instead.

Companies like Maxar are preparing to lobby Congress for additional funds. But without stable funding, the US aerospace industry faces the risk of being left behind by China.

China's Jilin-1 satellite has a resolution of 0.2 meters and weighs only 200 kilograms, already surpassing the US.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1832956707174400/

Disclaimer: The article solely represents the author's personal views.