Geoinformatics and Satellite Techniques

[The Hubble Space Telescope is] probably the most sophisticated scientific satellite ever built.”

In 1971 the CIA and Air Force began designing the Keyhole or KH series of spy satellites. On December 19, 1976, the first Keyhole was launched … Their resolution was so superior that license plate numbers on parked cars could be clearly read. Further, the satellites were used to photograph Soviet spacecraft in orbit and strategic bombers in flight.