Full Breakdown
Chinese Satellite Firm MizarVision Publicly Tracks US Bomber and Other Military Movements
5/8/2026, 9:44:14 PM
Core Event: Real-Time Satellite Tracking of a US B-1B Bomber
On 15 March a US B-1B “Lancer” bomber left RAF Fairford for an Iranian missile site. Within minutes MizarVision posted satellite images of its flight path on Weibo, echoing earlier posts of US F-22s in Israel and a UK-US ship at Diego Garcia.
Background: China’s Expanding Space Capability
Xi Jinping aims for China to be a leading space power by 2030. Satellites grew from ~900 in 2024 to >1,300, including >510 surveillance and 157 classified military satellites, second only to the US.
Key Players
MizarVision (5.5 % state-owned) draws imagery from Chinese constellations such as Jilin-1. Other actors include Chang Guang Satellite Technology (sanctioned), Dennis Wilder (former US intelligence official), analyst Bill Greer, RUSI’s Bleddyn Bowen, CSIS fellow Kari Bingen, and unnamed Western intelligence sources.
Data & Capabilities
Chinese commercial satellites can image any location in 8–10 minutes at ~25 cm resolution—enough to spot a moving vehicle—and revisit it every 90–120 minutes. In January 2024 China launched 127 satellites and plans >1,000 more this year.
Official Statements & Responses
Beijing denies selling the TEE-01B surveillance satellite to Iran’s IRGC. MizarVision declined comment when approached by The i Paper. NATO members, including the UK, have warned that China and Russia are developing capabilities to target Western satellites.
Criticism & Opposition
Analysts say high-resolution imagery releases create a new espionage tool, enabling precise targeting of defence manufacturers, testing ranges such as Salisbury Plain, and undersea cable sites. A Western source warned that the ability to “watch everything and supply that information to anyone” raises the risk of precision strikes akin to Western long-range air campaigns.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Western intelligence agencies claim China supplied Iran with a surveillance satellite in 2024, a charge Beijing rejects. Evidence of image sharing with Russia and Iran is indirect, based on satellite-tracking incidents and expert inference. MizarVision’s data sources and state oversight remain undisclosed.
Verbatim Quotes
- “A Chinese SQX-1 Y10 commercial rocket (Photo: VCG/Getty) Professor Dennis Wilder, a former White House intelligence official under Barack Obama and a CIA Asia specialist, said: “China has the capability today to target all kinds of areas of interest, including defence manufacturers.” — Dennis Wilder, former White House intelligence official.
- “The imagery is incredibly useful in espionage activities. I have no doubt China shares this kind of imagery on the UK and other European countries.” — Dennis Wilder.
- “They can likely view any area in the UK multiple times a day, and likely with different sensors. They would [also] definitely be targeting US military, Iran, Ukraine, and all other global areas of interest and conflict.” — Bill Greer, satellite expert.
- “China is using space as a tool of diplomacy and influence.” — Kari Bingen, CSIS senior fellow.
What’s Next
Western governments are expected to convene NATO working groups on space security, consider export controls on high-resolution imagery, and press Chinese satellite operators for greater transparency. Monitoring of MizarVision’s future disclosures will likely intensify as policymakers evaluate the impact of near-real-time geospatial intelligence.
