BLUE LANTERN POST-SHIPMENT END USE CHECK ON

UNCLAS STATE 049721 SIPDIS FOR ECON ERIC J. REUTER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETTC FR KOMC SUBJECT: BLUE LANTERN POST-SHIPMENT END USE CHECK ON SATELLITE COMPONENTS REF: A. SPACE NEWS 21 JUNE 2004: U.S. EXPORT RESTRICTIONS HELP ALCATEL WIN CHINASAT9 HTTP://WWW.SPACE.COM/SPACENEWS/ ¶B. SPACE NEWS 13 JUNE 2005: EUROPEAN SATELLITE COMPONENT MAKER SAYS IT IS DROPPING U.S. COMPONENTS BECAUSE OF ITAR ¶C. SPACE NEWS 06 JULY 2007: CHINA LAUNCHES NEW COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE ¶D. EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY ITAR FREE SPACEBUS 4000B2 HTTP://TELECOM.ESA.INT/TELECOM/ ¶E. WIKIPEDIA PAGE ON SPACEBUS HTTP://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/SPACEBUS ¶F. GUNTER'S SPACE PAGE HTTP://SPACE.SKYROCKET.DE/ ¶1. This is an action message. See paragraphs 2-7. ¶2. The Department's Office of Defense Trade Controls Compliance (PM/DTCC) requests post assistance in conducting a post-shipment check regarding the export and use of satellite components. Post is requested to complete this Blue Lantern check within 45 days. Lack of response to a Blue Lantern check will affect pending and future licenses involving parties to this license. ¶3. Reason for request: the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC),in accordance with the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR),is charged with controlling the export of defense articles and defense services covered by the United States Munitions List (USML). U.S.-origin commercial satellites, and military-grade satellite components, are ITAR-controlled and require a DDTC license for export. USML commodities exported to one country cannot be transferred to another party or re-exported without express USG authorization. The export of all USML commodities is prohibited to certain countries, such as Cuba, Iran, and North Korea. This policy of export denial for ITAR-controlled items also applies to China. ¶4. Recent press reporting indicates that some European aerospace firms who do business with China feel unduly constrained by USG export restrictions on ITAR-controlled satellite components. Commercial satellites that contain any ITAR-controlled components cannot be sold to China, nor can they be launched by China for other countries. Consequently, certain European firms are advertising that they can now produce "ITAR-free" satellites, thereby eliminating USG export and re-transfer restrictions (Ref. A-D). ¶5. Three satellites built for China and declared ITAR-free are APStar 6 (launched 12 April 2005),ChinaSat 6B (launched 05 July 2007),and ChinaSat 9 (expected launch May-June 2008). All three were built by primary contractor Thales Alenia Space, based on the Spacebus 4000C2 platform. Within the 4000 series are also found classes B2, B3, C1, C3, and C4. (Note: "Spacebus" is a trade name for a standardized satellite platform that originated with the French company Aerospatiale. Aerospatiale eventually became Alcatel Space, then Alcatel Space merged with Alenia Spazio to form Alcatel Alenia Space in 2005. Alcatel Alenia Space merged with Thales in 2007, thereby establishing Thales Alenia Space. Thales S.A., partly owned by the French government, is the parent company of Thales Alenia Space. See Ref. E-F for further information about the Spacebus platform and specific commercial satellites that have utilized the successive Spacebus series.) ¶6. A search for "spacebus" in DDTC's licensing database found 56 approved licenses and Technical Assistance Agreements (TAA) dating from 1999 to 2008. Listed below are most of the licenses which specified the Spacebus 4000 series. Only a few of these cases further identified a particular Spacebus 4000 class, namely, 4000B3, 4000C1, 4000C3, and 4000C4 (see cases B, G, H, and K below). In addition, several licenses approved during 2007 are for thousands of ITAR-controlled components for Spacebus 4000 future programs which do not specify class or an end-user of the satellite. Thus in light of these data, the Thales Alenia Space claim that the Spacebus 4000C2 platform utilized for the China satellites were actually ITAR-free will need to be substantiated for DDTC. ¶7. ACTION: Please visit the Foreign End User/Primary Contractor Thales Alenia Space. Request that Thales Alenia Space provide post with copies of relevant documents regarding construction and launch of the APStar6, ChinaSat 6B, and ChinaSat 9 satellites. These documents should include technical specs; parts list including name, stock number, manufacturer, source, and country of origin. Thales Alenia Space should be able to substantiate that the China satellites had no ITAR (see list of licenses and components in para 8),and should be able to identify which platforms do use ITAR components, and to which countries these have been exported. END ACTION. FOREIGN END USER/PRIMARY CONTRACTOR: Thales Alenia Space 45 rue de Villiers Neuilly-sur-Seine Cedex, Paris 92526 FRANCE ¶8. License Information: A) DDTC Case Number 05-801131 APPROVED: 10/2000 QUANTITY/COMMODITY: 22 Rad Hard Components for SMU Calculator STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Spacebus 4000 program. B) DDTC Case Number 05-811379 APPROVED: 01/2001 QUANTITY/COMMODITY: 04 Non Return Moog Values for Propulsion System STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Spacebus 4000C3 program. C) DDTC Case Number 05-814283 APPROVED: 03/2001 QUANTITY/COMMODITY: 400 Rad Hard MOSFETs STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Spacebus 4000 program. D) DDTC Case Number 05-815542 APPROVED: 03/2001 QUANTITY/COMMODITY: 176 Rad Hard Integrated Circuits STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Spacebus 4000 program. E) DDTC Case Number 05-818566 APPROVED: 06/2001 QUANTITY/COMMODITY: 01 Lot Tech Data for Xenon Propulsion System STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Spacebus 4000 program. F) DDTC Case Number 05-842740 APPROVED: 03/2002 QUANTITY/COMMODITY: 09 IRES-NE Sensors STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Spacebus 4000 program. G) DDTC Case Number 05-843356 APPROVED: 02/2002 QUANTITY/COMMODITY: 02 Coarse Sun Sensors for Attitude System STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Spacebus 4000B3 program. H) DDTC Case Number 05-910432 APPROVED: 02/2004 QUANTITY/COMMODITY: 936 Rad Hard MOSFETs STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Spacebus 4000C1 and 4000C3 programs. I) DDTC Case Number 05-1001956 APPROVED: 08/2006 QUANTITY/COMMODITY: 250 GPO Connectors for Channel Amplifier STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Spacebus 4000 program. J) DDTC Case Number 05-050014567 APPROVED: 09/2006 QUANTITY/COMMODITY: 08 Dow Corning Space Grade Encapsulant Kit STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Spacebus 4000 program. K) DDTC Case Number 05-050034825 APPROVED: 03/2007 QUANTITY/COMMODITY: 05 Helium Series Redundant Pressure Regulators STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Spacebus 4000C4 program. L) DDTC Case Number 05-050047951 APPROVED: 06/2007 QUANTITY/COMMODITY: 300 Hermetic Connectors for Power Supply Equipment STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Spacebus 4000 program (future platforms). M) DDTC Case Number 05-050047970 APPROVED: 06/2007 QUANTITY/COMMODITY: 290 Hermetic Connectors for Hybrid Sub-Assemblies STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Spacebus 4000 program (future platforms). N) DDTC Case Number 05-050049432 APPROVED: 06/2007 QUANTITY/COMMODITY: 5,800 N-Channel Power MOSFETs for Power Control Units STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Spacebus 4000 program (future platforms). O) DDTC Case Number 05-050051930 APPROVED: 06/2007 QUANTITY/COMMODITY: 1,235 Current Limiting Fuses STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Spacebus 4000 program (future platforms). P) DDTC Case Number 05-050055463 APPROVED: 08/2007 QUANTITY/COMMODITY: 1,000 N-Channel MOSFETs for Power Control Units STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Spacebus 4000 program (future platforms). Q) DDTC Case Number 05-050067032 APPROVED: 10/2007 QUANTITY/COMMODITY: 700 N-Channel MOSFETs for Power Control Units STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Spacebus 4000 program (future platforms). R) DDTC Case Number TAA 2660-07 APPROVED: 11/2007 COMMODITY: Technical Assistance Agreement for Testing of Nickel Hydrogen Batteries STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Spacebus 4000 program. S) DDTC Case Number 05-050075053 APPROVED: 11/2007 QUANTITY/COMMODITY: 105 High Reliability MOSFETs for DC/DC Converter Hybrids STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Spacebus 4000 program. T) DDTC Case Number 05-050079133 APPROVED: 12/2007 QUANTITY/COMMODITY: 55 Connectors for Hybrid Sub-Assemblies STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Spacebus 4000 program (future platforms). U) DDTC Case Number 05-050080467 APPROVED: 01/2008 QUANTITY/COMMODITY: 4,100 N-Channel Power MOSFETs for Power Control Units STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Spacebus 4000 program (future platforms). V) DDTC Case Number 05-050091534 APPROVED: 03/2008 QUANTITY/COMMODITY: 05 Helium Pressure Regulators STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Spacebus 4000 program. W) DDTC Case Number 05-050093091 APPROVED: 03/2008 QUANTITY/COMMODITY: 10 FreeFlyer Software for Analysis of Orbital Dynamics STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Spacebus 4000 program. ¶9. Please slug reply for PM/DTCC - BLUE LANTERN COORDINATOR and include the words "Blue Lantern" in the subject line. POC on this case is Peter Sabatini, PM/DTCC, phone: 202-663-2819; ClassNet email: sabtinipj@state.sgov.gov; OpenNet email: sabatinipj@state.gov. The 2006 Blue Lantern Guide Book is available on OpenNet at http://fsi.state.gov/fsi/spas/default.asp?ID= 1588 Department thanks Post for its assistance in this matter. RICE