Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09CANBERRA149
2009-02-13 06:11:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Canberra
Cable title:  

AUSTRALIAN COMMENTS ON COLLISION OF IRIDIUM/COSMOS

Tags:  TSPA AS 
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P 130611Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY CANBERRA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0994
INFO AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 
AMCONSUL MELBOURNE PRIORITY 
AMCONSUL PERTH PRIORITY 
AMCONSUL SYDNEY PRIORITY 
USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 
SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
CJCS WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L CANBERRA 000149 


SIPDIS

STATE FOR ISN, T AND EAP
SECDEF FOR OSD AND VCJCS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/13/2019
TAGS: TSPA AS
SUBJECT: AUSTRALIAN COMMENTS ON COLLISION OF IRIDIUM/COSMOS
SATELLITES

REF: STATE 12948

Classified By: Political Counselor James F. Cole. Reasons: 1.4 (b)(e)

C O N F I D E N T I A L CANBERRA 000149


SIPDIS

STATE FOR ISN, T AND EAP
SECDEF FOR OSD AND VCJCS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/13/2019
TAGS: TSPA AS
SUBJECT: AUSTRALIAN COMMENTS ON COLLISION OF IRIDIUM/COSMOS
SATELLITES

REF: STATE 12948

Classified By: Political Counselor James F. Cole. Reasons: 1.4 (b)(e)


1. (SBU) In the absence of a unified GOA point of contact on
space matters, we delivered the talking points on the
February 10 collision of the U.S. Iridium and Russion Cosmos
satellites simultaneously to Group Captain Denny Davison,
Director for Defence Space Coordination, Australian
Department of Defence, and to Cameron Archer, Director for
Defence Policy and Liaison, Department of Foreign Affairs and
Trade.


2. (C) Davison drew our attention to press reports citing a
Pentagon spokesperson who acknowledged the United States
"missed the event and did not detect it," and sought
confirmation whether that was indeed the case. (We have seen
media reports quoting Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman saying
"We did not predict this collision" but have seen no
reporting along the lines suggested by Davison.)


3. (C) DFAT's Archer queried whether there were any hazardous
materials released as a result of the collision, and whether
there was any indication that debris would re-enter the
Earth's atmosphere and, if so, where the probable points of
impact would be. On the second point, we responded the
debris cloud was still being studied and tracked, but noted
the small mass of the debris made the risk to hazards to
humans and property on Earth very low, per background in
reftel.


4. (C) Archer told us the Government of Australia was
beginning to recognize the need for a central, unified point
of contact in the GOA on space matters, noting the Department
of the Prime Minister and Cabinet had taken up the issue of
possible creation of a new office of space affairs.

CLUNE