A 71-year-old Canadian man has been deported from the United States after pleading guilty to using a drone to photograph sensitive military installations at Cape Canaveral Space Force Base, federal prosecutors announced.
Xiao Guang Pan of Brampton, Ontario, was sentenced to 12 months’ probation and immediately ordered deported by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. A federal judge also permanently banned Pan from re-entering the United States without direct government approval.
Pan pleaded guilty in August to three counts of unlawfully photographing defense installations without authorization. The charges stemmed from drone flights he conducted over three days in early January at the Florida military facility that supports US space launch operations.
A forensic analysis of Pan’s equipment revealed he had taken 1,919 photos and videos during his three-day visit, with 243 images and 13 videos specifically documenting Space Force facilities such as launch complexes, payload processing areas, security checkpoints, and a Navy submarine wharf.
NASA officials detected unusual drone activity near Cape Canaveral on January 7 and alerted local authorities, who found Pan operating a DJI Mavic 3 Pro drone from a parking lot in Port Canaveral. The Chinese-manufactured drone, equipped with advanced camera capabilities, had been used to photograph sensitive military infrastructure from multiple angles over the three-day period.
Pan initially claimed he was only photographing sunrises and cruise ships, insisting he didn’t realize he was near a military installation. However, investigators found Google Maps screenshots on his phone clearly showing “Cape Canaveral Space Force Station,” and flight logs revealed his drone had issued multiple airspace violation warnings that Pan ignored.
A forensic analysis of Pan’s equipment revealed systematic documentation of sensitive areas including fuel depots, munitions storage facilities, mission control infrastructure, and power distribution systems.
Born in China, Pan immigrated to Canada in 2001 and worked as a Best Buy technician for 18 years before retiring in 2022. The Brampton Arts Organization described him as an “enthusiastic” drone photographer whose work had been featured in local exhibitions.
Pan entered the US on a tourist visa in November 2024 through Detroit and had been traveling through Texas and Orlando before arriving at Florida’s Space Coast.
Just weeks before Pan’s arrest, another individual was charged with similar activity at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Under federal law, unauthorized photography of vital defense installations carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and $100,000 fine for each count. Pan’s case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and the FBI.
Each of the three charges against Pan could have resulted in up to one year in federal prison. Pan surrendered his $5,000 drone and related equipment to US authorities as part of his plea agreement.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police declined to comment on whether they are conducting their own investigation into Pan’s activities.
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