Can Submarines Be Detected From Space?When surfaced, at periscope depth, and when operating at shallow depths, a submarine can be seen by satellite imagery. When operating deep, they cannot be seen.But nuclear submarines can be tracked by their waste heat.Any machine will have a thermal heat signature but this type of detection is more dangerous to nuclear propelled boats than any other, and because of the difference in heat potential more likely in the Arctic and Antarctic waters. Satellite data analysis also covers the propagated wake in the ocean as the properties within such a wake are significantly different from other marine traffic. Research in this field has been chasing this optimised target for years and while it is of the highest of secret profiles it suggests SSN and SSBN class boats now have nowhere left to hide.