Austrian astrophotographer Felix Schöfbänker captured images of a top-secret Pentagon spacecraft, USA 290, using a 14-inch Dobsonian telescope.

Unlike typical spy satellites, USA 290 has a distinct design and follows an unusual orbit.

Launched in 2019 aboard a Delta IV rocket, it is described as a surveillance payload owned by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).

Schöfbänker noted its large, approximately 16-foot-long rectangular panel, which could function as a solar panel, radiator, or signal intelligence antenna.

This isn’t Schöfbänker’s first encounter with classified spacecraft; he previously photographed China’s secret spaceplane, Gizmodo has reported.

He joins others, like Marco Langbroek, who are also tracking covert missions in the night sky.

Written by B.C. Begley