TOUR D'HORIZON WITH ASI PRESIDENT VETRELLA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 003036 SIPDIS OES/SAT FOR BRAIBANTI, KARNER, OSTP FOR BRETT ALEXANDER, NASA FOR JOHN SCHUMACHER, PARIS FOR NASA/FELDSTEIN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KTIA TSPA TSPA IT ITKTIA SUBJECT: TOUR D'HORIZON WITH ASI PRESIDENT VETRELLA UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 ROME 03036 01 OF 02 201700Z REF: STATE 104344 ¶1. SUMMARY: ESTOFFS MET WITH THE PRESIDENT OF THE ITALIAN SPACE AGENCY (ASI),PROFESSOR SERGIO VETRELLA, ON JUNE 6, ¶2002. VETRELLA PROVIDED UPDATES ON GALILEO, ITALIAN SPACE PLAN, COSMO SKYMED, AND THE BIDDING PROCESS FOR THE AGILE LAUNCHER. IN PARTICULAR, HE STRESSED THAT ALL EXISTING COOPERATIVE ACTIVITIES WITH NASA WERE INCLUDED IN THE PLAN. HE ALSO AGREED IN PRINCIPLE FOR ASI TO PARTICIPATE IN A BILATERAL PUBLIC DIPLOMACY PROJECT TO COINCIDE WITH THE CENTENARY OF THE FIRST FLIGHT OF THE WRIGHT BROTHERS. AS A COURTESY, ESTOFFS ALSO BRIEFED VETRELLA ON REFTEL USG RESPONSE TO THE EUROPEAN REQUEST FOR A GOVERNMENT-LEVEL MEETING ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS). END SUMMARY. -------------- GALILEO -------------- ¶2. ESTOFFS INQUIRED ABOUT THE STATUS OF THE GALILEO GLOBAL NAVIGATIONAL SATELLITE SYSTEM PROGRAM. VETRELLA HAD RECENTLY RETURNED FROM AN EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY (ESA) MEETING IN PARIS ON GALILEO. ACCORDING TO VETRELLA, THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION (EC) AND ESA HAVE NOT YET REACHED AN AGREEMENT OF A DIVISION OF LABOR AND RESPONSIBILITY OVER THE DESIGN PHASE OF GALILEO. WITHOUT THIS AGREEMENT, THE EC AND ESA WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BEGIN COOPERATION TO DEVELOP GALILEO AS A JOINT UNDERTAKING. ONCE THIS AGREEMENT HAS BEEN REACHED, VETRELLA ESTIMATED THAT IT WILL TAKE A YEAR AND A HALF TO ESTABLISH THE TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR GALILEO. DURING THIS PROCESS, VETRELLA UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 ROME 03036 01 OF 02 201700Z EXPECTS THAT IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO DEFINE FROM A TECHNICAL POINT OF VIEW HOW GALILEO COULD BE FULLY INTEGRATED WITH GPS AND GLONASS. BUT THE LEVEL OF INTEGRATION BETWEEN THESE SYSTEMS WILL BE ULTIMATELY SUBJECT TO A POLITICAL DECISION WITHIN THE EUROPEAN UNION (EU). VETRELLA CLAIMED THAT THERE IS NO SUPPORT IN ITALY FOR A "NON-OPTIMIZED" SOLUTION. HE DEFINED AN "OPTIMAL" SOLUTION AS ONE THAT ACHIEVED A HIGH-LEVEL OF INTEGRATION WITH GPS AND GLONASS. -------------- ITALIAN SPACE PLAN -------------- ¶3. WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE STATUS OF THE ITALIAN SPACE PLAN, VETRELLA STATED THAT IT HAD BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE MINISTRY OF UNIVERSITIES AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS (MUIR) FOR APPROVAL. AN INTERMINISTERIAL COUNCIL WILL EXAMINE THE PLAN AND WILL GIVE THE MINISTER OF UNIVERSITIES AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS A RECOMMENDATION. ONCE THIS REVIEW PROCESS HAS BEEN COMPLETED, IT WILL BE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT FOR INCLUSION IN THE BUDGET. HE EXPECTED THAT IT WOULD BE PUBLISHED AS LAW BY MID-JULY 2002. ONCE APPROVED THE SPACE PLAN WILL COVER ASI ACTIVITIES FOR THE 2003-2005 PERIOD. HE STRESSED THAT ALL COOPERATIVE ACTIVITIES WITH NASA ARE INCLUDED IN THE PLAN. IN PARTICULAR, VETRELLA NOTED THAT THE ITALIAN COMMITMENTS TO THE SWIFT PROGRAM AND ISS HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE PLAN. IN DESCRIBING THE CHANGES HE MADE TO THE DRAFT SPACE PLAN THAT HAD BEEN COMPLETED AT THE TIME OF HIS ARRIVAL AT ASI, VETRELLA STATED THAT HE HAD TO RE-PRIORITIZE ASI OBJECTIVES AND LIMIT FUTURE PROJECTS IN ORDER TO STAY WITHIN BUDGETARY CONSTRAINTS ESTABLISHED BY THE NEW CENTER-RIGHT GOVERNMENT. UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 ROME 03036 01 OF 02 201700Z -------------- COSMO SKYMED -------------- ¶4. ACCORDING TO VETRELLA, THE DIVISION OF LABOR FOR COSMO SKYMED PROJECT IS STILL UNDER DISCUSSION AMONG THE ITALIANS, FRENCH AND GERMANS. HE OFFERED TO PROVIDE THE MISSION WITH A COPY OF ASI'S IN-HOUSE STATUS REPORT ON COSMO SKYMED. -------------- AGILE LAUNCHER -------------- ¶5. ESTOFFS ASKED VETRELLA TO CONFIRM THAT THE TENDER FOR THE LAUNCHER FOR THE AGILE SCIENTIFIC SATELLITE HAD BEEN WITHDRAWN BY ASI. TWO US FIRMS ARE COMPETING TO PROVIDE THE LAUNCHER FOR AGILE AS WELL AS ARIANE AND A RUSSIAN COMPANY, AND MISSION HAS PERFORMED SOME ADVOCACY ON BEHALF OF THE US COMPETITORS. VETRELLA CONFIRMED THAT HE HAD WITHDRAWN THE BID PACKAGE BECAUSE HE DID NOT FEEL THAT THE BID PROCESS WAS BEING HANDLED PROPERLY. HE INTENDS TO OFFER ANOTHER TENDER UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PTQ8805 PAGE 01 ROME 03036 02 OF 02 201701Z ACTION L-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AMAD-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 DOEE-00 DOTE-00 WHA-00 EAP-00 EB-00 EUR-00 FAAE-00 UTED-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 VCE-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OES-01 PM-00 ACE-00 SS-00 TEST-00 T-00 PMB-00 LBA-00 SAS-00 /003W -------------- C02DDD 201701Z /38 R 201721Z JUN 02 FM AMEMBASSY ROME TO SECSTATE WASHDC 4363 INFO EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE AMEMBASSY MOSCOW AMEMBASSY OTTAWA AMEMBASSY TOKYO AMCONSUL FLORENCE AMCONSUL MILAN AMCONSUL NAPLES NASA WASHDC UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 003036 SIPDIS OES/SAT FOR BRAIBANTI, KARNER, OSTP FOR BRETT ALEXANDER, NASA FOR JOHN SCHUMACHER, PARIS FOR NASA/FELDSTEIN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KTIA TSPA TSPA IT ITKTIA SUBJECT: TOUR D'HORIZON WITH ASI PRESIDENT VETRELLA UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 ROME 03036 02 OF 02 201701Z ONCE THE BID PROCESS MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE HAS BEEN REORGANIZED. -------------- FIRST FLIGHT CENTENARY -------------- ¶6. SCICOUNS REQUESTED ASI'S COOPERATION IN A POTENTIAL BILATERAL PROGRAM TO CELEBRATE THE CENTENARY OF THE WRIGHT BROTHERS FIRST FLIGHT IN NOVEMBER 2002. HE BRIEFED VETRELLA ON ONGOING INFORMAL DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN THE MISSION AND THE DIRECTOR OF THE ITALIAN AEROSPACE MUSEUM IN NAPLES. MISSION BELIEVES THAT THIS EVENT WOULD PROVIDE AN EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY TO ENHANCE PUBLIC AWARENESS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC OF THE RICH HISTORY OF AEROSPACE COOPERATION BETWEEN ITALY AND THE UNITED STATES. MISSION WILL EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITY OF JOINT PROGRAM BETWEEN THE NAPLES CENTER AND THE NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM AND THE US AIR FORCE MUSEUM. MISSION INTENDS TO INVITE A SHUTTLE CREW TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS EVENT. VETRELLA AGREED IN PRINCIPLE TO ASI PARTICIPATION IN THE EVENT. EST SECTION WILL CONTINUE TO DISCUSS THIS PROJECT WITH OUR ASI CONTACTS. -------------- ISS GOVERNMENT-LEVEL MEETING -------------- ¶7. AS A COURTESY, ESTOFFS BRIEFED VETRELLA ON THE USG RESPONSE TO THE EUROPEAN REQUEST FOR A GOVERNMENT-LEVEL MEETING IN WASHINGTON ON THE FUTURE OF ISS. VETRELLA WAS NOT AWARE THAT THE REQUEST HAD BEEN MADE AND WAS LARGELY UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 ROME 03036 02 OF 02 201701Z DISMISSIVE OF IT. HE HAS NO ILLUSIONS ABOUT THE POLITICAL AND BUDGETARY FACTORS IMPINGING ON USG ISS POLICY. SINCE THE MEETING CAN NOT BE HELD IN LATE JUNE 2002, VETRELLA BELIEVES THAT A MEETING WILL PROBABLY NOT TAKE PLACE UNTIL AUTUMN 2002 DUE TO THE GERMAN ELECTIONS. ALSO, HE THINKS THAT IT IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT ANY SUBSTANTIVE MULTILATERAL DECISION ON ISS WILL TAKE PLACE PRIOR TO THE END OF THE YEAR. SEMBLER UNCLASSIFIED > 2002ROME03036 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED