In celebration of World Photography Day, check out this photo of Mys Shmidta, the location of a bomber base in the former Soviet Union. This image, taken on Aug. 18, 1960, was the first image acquired by the first successful Corona satellite – mission 9009 – using the KH-1 camera.

More current satellite photos shows chaos in Afghanistan.

New satellite images show a chaotic scene Monday at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan as the United States government and its allies worked to withdraw remaining personnel from the country.

Satellite imagery shows crowds of people gathered on the tarmac at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan as thousands of people try to exit the country. (Courtesy of Maxar Technologies) 

With the capital falling under Taliban control on Sunday, Aug. 15, hundreds of people rushed to the airport in hopes of securing a flight out of Afghanistan. Civilians flooded the tarmac, with some reports of deaths as individuals clung to aircraft during takeoff.

New satellite images from commercial provider Maxar Technologies show crowds gathering at the airport at 10:36 a.m. local time on Aug. 16. According to the company, one image shows a Turkish airliner preparing to takeoff while security forces attempt to hold back crowds from the active tarmac, preventing them from blocking flight operations. Other images show traffic jams as people flee to the airport, as well as huge crowds gathered on and around the tarmac.

Afghanistan traffic jam A satellite image shows a massive traffic jam as thousands of people head to Hamid Karzai International Airport in an attempt to exit Afghanistan. (Courtesy of Maxar Technologies)

The Pentagon acknowledged Monday afternoon that flights out of Kabul had been grounded, as the military worked to clear people from the airstrip.

“We’ve certainly seen all the dramatic video coming from the airport today and we obviously don’t want anyone else to get hurt,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters. “So we’re going to work methodically in coming hours to restore a safe and secure environment so that air operations can resume.”

Sources:
NRO
c4isrnet