A Chinese national has been arrested for allegedly flying a drone over Vandenberg Space Force Base in California’s Santa Barbara County.
Yinpiao Zhou, 39, was taken into custody at San Francisco International Airport just before boarding a flight to China, according to the Justice Department. Zhou, a resident of Brentwood, has been charged with violating national defense airspace and failing to register an aircraft not providing transportation.
Zhou was set to make his first court appearance on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
Zhou was discovered after drone detection systems at the Space Force base detected the unmanned aerial vehicle, according to an affidavit filed with the court on Sunday.
U.S. Space Force
The drone flew for nearly an hour, reaching a maximum altitude of almost 1 mile. The flight began in Ocean Park, which is likely a reference to Ocean Beach Park near the base, the press statement said.
Base security personnel who went to investigate found Zhou along with another person, whose identity was not disclosed. He was discovered carrying the drone in his jacket.
A search of Zhou’s cellphone revealed a Google search for “Vandenberg Space Force Base Drone Rules,” as well as messages with another person about hacking the drone to fly higher than its normal altitude.
According to the statement, Zhou’s last visit to China was in February, while his companion returned from the country on November 26.
If convicted, Zhou faces a maximum of four years in prison and criminal and civil fines totaling nearly $400,000.
Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Department of Justice and the Chinese Embassy by email with a written request for comment outside of office hours.
The arrest comes amid heightened concerns in Washington over Chinese spying operations targeting military bases, universities, and other sensitive sites.
Earlier this year, a China-born U.S. citizen, Wenheng Zhao, received a 27-month sentence for sharing classified information about Navy exercises, operational security, and radar system blueprints with a Chinese intelligence contact.
Vandenberg Space Force Base is central to many of the United States’ defense-oriented space operations.
Late in November, the base hosted the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying satellites from the Department of Defense’s National Reconnaissance Office. The mission was part of the office’s growing constellation of cutting-edge satellites designed to boost the country’s intelligence and defense capabilities.
Earlier in November, the base saw a test-firing of a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The U.S. Space Force described the test as a demonstration of the country’s ability to maintain its ICBM strengths during a time of strategic competition.
