Yinpiao Zhou, a Chinese national, was apprehended at San Francisco International Airport on December 9th for allegedly flying a drone over Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and capturing images of SpaceX rocket pads. The incident occurred on the same day SpaceX launched a sensitive national reconnaissance payload.
Zhou, 39, is facing charges of failure to register a drone and violating national defense airspace. He is set to appear in a San Francisco court on Tuesday. Federal agents claim Zhou flew the drone over the military facility for 59 minutes and took photos of sensitive areas. The drone’s SD card contained images of the base, and data from Zhou’s phone showed searches related to drone rules at the base.
Authorities discovered communication on WeChat discussing the drone photos, and Zhou allegedly admitted to bypassing altitude restrictions using software on his drone. The FAA requires drones over .55 pounds to be registered, and Zhou’s DJI Mavic 2 model weighed approximately 2 pounds.
Concerns have been raised about mysterious drones flying over U.S. military facilities in recent months. Congressman Tom Kean, Jr. of New Jersey called for immediate federal action to address the issue of unexplained drone activity in the state. He emphasized the importance of ensuring the safety and privacy of residents in light of these incidents. Can you please rephrase this sentence?
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