Chinese citizen allegedly photographed Vandenberg base with drone, says it was 'probably not a good idea'

Nearly a mile above Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, a hacked drone soared through restricted airspace for roughly an hour. The lightweight drone photographed sensitive areas of the military facility on Nov. 30, including a complex used by SpaceX, according to federal investigators. The drone then descended back to the ground, where the pilot and another man waited at a nearby park. Four security officers from the military base arrived on the scene and asked the men if they had seen a drone flying through the area, unaware that one of them had tucked the drone under his jacket. Authorities identified that man as 39-year-old Yinpiao Zhou, a Chinese citizen and a lawful permanent resident of the U.S.