NSPO REACTION TO AIT DEMARCHE

S E C R E T AIT TAIPEI 003745

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EC/NP CHRIS KESSLER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2016
TAGS: ECON ETTC PREL TSPA TW
SUBJECT: NSPO REACTION TO AIT DEMARCHE

REF: A. SECSTATE 179400

B. TAIPEI 2926

Classified By: Acting Director Robert S. Wang for reasons 1.4b/d


1. (S/NF) Summary: AIT delivered ref A demarche to
National Space Program Office (NSPO) Director Lance Wu on
October 30. Wu said he understood the U.S. policy on the
release of satellite source codes. He said he appreciated
and accepted the offer to collaborate with Orbital Systems.
Wu said that Asahi TV and a UN organization had requested
imagery obtained from Formosat 2 in the wake of the DPRK's
nuclear test. He said Taiwan's next space project was to
eject a payload from a sounding rocket in the upper
atmosphere and recover it. End summary

FORMOSAT-3 DEMARCHE DELIVERED
--------------


2. (S/NF) AIT ESTH Officer delivered ref A demarche to Lance
Wu, Director of the National Space Program Office (NSPO) on
October 30 and explained U.S. policy forbids the release of
program software to foreign partners of U.S. commercial
ventures. AIT explained it was in the U.S. interest to see
that Formosat-3 was a success and we were willing to help in
any way we could to resolve problems. Wu said he understood
the U.S. position and that in the past month he had gotten
useful help from Orbital Sciences Corp. and that in some
cases NSPO resolved the problems independently. Wu claimed
that Formosat-3 could obtain three-dimensional data of the
ionosphere that could benefit missile flight performance.

CYCLOPS ON HOLD, BROADBAND PENDING EVALUATION
--------------


3. (S/NF) Wu said the follow-on project to Formosat-2 or
"Cyclops" was put on indefinite hold because Taiwan
Solidarity Union (TSU) legislator Liao Pen-yen had criticized
NSPO for financial mismanagement of the project (not
selecting the lowest bid). Wu said the National Security
Bureau was the main driver on the "Cyclops" project, a
remote-sensing satellite project designed to eventually
replace Formosat-2.


4. (S/NF) On the military broadband communications
satellite project, a NT$150 billion project, 30 percent
funded by the National Science Council and the rest by the
Defense Ministry (MND),the NSPO has yet to make a
recommendation between the Boeing and Northrop companies and
submit it to the MND for review. According to Wu, legislator
Liao wants to get personally involved in this project,
perhaps for personal gain.

FORMOSAT 2 AND KIM'S NUCLEAR TEST
--------------


4. (S/NF) Wu said Japanese Asahi TV had approached NSPO for
imagery of the North Korean nuclear test site. According to
an October 22 report from the Japanese Yomiuri Shimbun, an
unspecified client of NSPO had obtained imagery covering
coordinates 41.311 North and 129.114 East near the alleged
test site. Yomiuri reported that pictures of the site showed
a road slightly skewed after the test. Wu said NSPO provided
Asahi with a power point presentation. Wu also said a UN
office that was monitoring the nuclear test also had
requested imagery from NSPO. All these deals were made
through SPOT, the French company that handles satellite
imagery sales for Formosat 2. Wu added that if AIT had any
special needs for imagery, it should ask NSPO through the
National Science Council.

INFIGHTING AT NSPO
--------------


5. (C) Wu has been grilled by legislators regarding
allegations he misused funds in the procurement of Canadian
satellite components connected with the German Rapideye
satellite system. Wu claimed that his deputy at NSPO, Chen
Shao-shing had secretly met with legislator Liao Pen-yen in
the U.S. Wu claimed that the meeting was evidence that Chen
was conspiring with Liao to get rid of him (Wu). This is the
first time Wu has described personnel difficulties within
NSPO.


6. C) Wu lamented that National Science Council (NSC)
Minister Chen Chien-jen (the parent agency of NSPO) was "too
soft" and could not be counted on to defend NSPO. (Note.
Chen's response to the legislator's allegations was "anyone
violating the law will be prosecuted" end note.)


7. (C) Wu said he definitely will not be staying on when
his term at NSPO ends next Summer. Wu said he regretted
having given up his U.S. residence card when he joined NSPO.
He intends to get back into scientific research and might
seek a position in the private sector.

NSPO NEEDS UNCLE SAM
--------------


8. C) Wu said NSPO could use some help from the U.S. to
advertise its successes with Formosat-3. This would
discourage legislators who wanted to sabotage the project for
their partisan interests. He suggested that NOAA and NSF
could use their influence to make a public statement of the
project's accomplishments in weather forecasting and studies
of the ionosphere.


NEXT STEP: LAUNCH AND RECOVER A SMALL PAYLOAD
-------------- -


9. (S/NF) Wu also said that NSPO's next project, scheduled
for February 2007, was to launch a small payload from their
sounding rocket, eject it in the upper atmosphere and then
try to recover it at sea. This would require very precise
timing, correct trajectory, altitude and velocity inputs to
ensure the ejected payload does not hit any rocket
components.

COMMENT
--------------



8. (C) Wu did not seem surprised when informed that U.S.
software program codes cannot be released to NSPO. It appears
that Department's intercession with Orbital Sciences has
already produced positive results. AIT believes NSPO can
sort out any remaining operational issues directly with
Orbital Sciences. Wu may well be preoccupied with his future
employment. His experience in this arena suggests Taiwan may
face an uphill struggle to convince other Taiwan scientists
residing in the U.S. to return to Taiwan and take up
leadership positions.

END COMMENT
WANG