A Chinese national is accused of operating a drone and capturing images at a crucial US military and NASA rocket launch facility.

Federal prosecutors claimed on Monday that a Chinese national residing in Los Angeles is accused of flying a drone and capturing aerial photos of Vandenberg Space Force Base in the previous month.

This week, at the San Francisco International Airport, Yinpiao Zhou, 39, was arrested before boarding a China-bound flight. The Justice Department stated that he is charged with failing to register an aircraft not providing transportation and violating national defense airspace.

On November 30th, a drone was detected flying over a military installation in Santa Barbara County, according to prosecutors.

An altitude of nearly one mile above ground level was reached by the drone, which originated from Ocean Park, a public area adjacent to the base, and flew for almost an hour.

Zhou and someone with him were spoken to by security personnel from the base at a park.

Prosecutors claimed that Zhou concealed a drone in his jacket and flew it over the base.

Investigators discovered that Zhou had searched for "Vandenberg Space Force Base Drone Rules" on his cellphone a month prior and had messaged with someone about hacking his drone to increase its altitude.

Zhou, a permanent resident, recently returned from China in February. The person accompanying him at Ocean Park entered the United States from China on Nov. 26.

Zhou faces up to four years in prison.

Space Launch Delta 30, Vandenberg's host unit, supports West Coast launch activities for various government agencies.

Planet Chronicle Digital has reached out to the military base.