P R 281931Z OCT 08
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY
INFO AMEMBASSY CARACAS
AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO
AMCONSUL CHENGDU
AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU
AMCONSUL SHANGHAI
AMCONSUL SHENYANG

UNCLAS STATE 114820 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL TSPA KSCA CH
 
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE REQUEST: CHINESE LAUNCH OF VENEZUELAN 
SATELLITE 
 
¶1. (U) This is an action message, please see paragraph 6 
below. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Venezuela is planning to operate a satellite that 
may create significant interference problems for two 
U.S.-licensed satellite operators, SES Americom and Intelsat. 
 The satellite, known both as Venesat-1 and Simon Bolivar, 
was built by China under contract from Venezuela.  Department 
understands that China is planning to launch the satellite 
around November 1, 2008. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Under an arrangement with Venezuela, Uruguay has 
agreed to let the Venesat-1/Simon Bolivar satellite occupy a 
geostationary orbital slot for which Uruguay is the 
"Notifying Administration" at the International 
Telecommunication Union (ITU).  The ITU administers treaty 
procedures for nations to use to prevent unacceptable 
interference between their respective satellite systems.  As 
the Notifying Administration, Uruguay is legally responsible 
for both the paperwork and the proper operation of the 
Venesat-1/Simon Bolivar satellite.  Venezuela did not have a 
suitable filing/orbital slot of its own to use and has made 
the arrangement noted above with Uruguay. 
 
¶4.  (U)  The ITU procedures require that countries planning 
to begin communications satellite operations &coordinate8 
in advance with other countries whose operations are already 
established and formally recorded in the Master Register of 
the ITU.  Therefore, Uruguay, on behalf of itself and 
Venezuela, must resolve all interference concerns with the 
U.S.-licensed operators before Venesat-1/Simon Bolivar can 
receive international recognition for its operations to 
begin. 
 
¶5. (SBU) The necessary coordination work has been going on 
for some time; however, Venezuela recently informed the 
U.S.-licensed operators of a modification that Venezuela 
asked China to make on the satellite to allow a "C-band" beam 
to extend beyond the northern areas of South America to 
include Cuba.  Introducing this modification creates a 
technical interference likelihood for the U.S.-licensed 
satellite operators.  The U.S.-licensed operators and USG 
were only informed of the modification this summer after the 
satellite was assembled and being readied for its scheduled 
November 1 launch.  The likely most effective remedy for the 
problem would be to delay the satellite launch so that the 
late modification can be reversed.  But the expense and delay 
involved may make this an unattractive option for Venezuela 
and China, and Venezuela appears interested in resolving the 
problem after launch.  Waiting until after launch will 
preclude reversal of the offending modification and require 
alternative measures that may weaken the satellite's overall 
utility.   We are not, however, requesting the Chinese stop 
the launch. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Post is requested to inform relevant authorities in 
the Chinese government of our concerns and may draw as 
appropriate on the 
following points. 
 
-The United States understands that China is making final 
preparations for the launch of a Chinese-manufactured 
satellite, Venesat-1/Simon Bolivar, on behalf of the 
governments of Venezuela and Uruguay. 
 
-As you may be aware, there are two U.S.-licensed 
companies that have satellites near the orbital location 
planned for Venesat-1/Simon Bolivar.  Those satellites 
have been in operation for years, and their orbital 
locations and frequency assignments are fully recorded in 
the Master Register of the International Telecommunication 
Union (ITU), conferring full international recognition and 
protection for their operation.  These satellites, and 
their internationally recognized orbital location and 
frequency assignments, face a threat of unacceptable 
levels of electrical interference from Venesat-1/Simon 
Bolivar because of recent changes made to the antenna 
characteristics of that satellite. 
 
-The ITU's Radio Regulations, a treaty to which the 
governments of China, Venezuela, Uruguay, and the United 
States are signatories, requires that the interference 
issues be resolved between the ITU &Notifying 
Administrations8 (Uruguay and the United States in this 
instance) before the orbital location and frequency 
assignments of the Venesat-1/Simon Bolivar are recorded by 
the ITU in the Master Register and the satellite can begin 
operation. 
 
-The United States is actively engaged with Venezuela and 
Uruguay to find a technical solution to the interference 
problem.  We note that some possible solutions may require 
physical modification to the Venesat-1/Simon Bolivar 
satellite, which cannot be done after launch.  While other 
solutions are possible, they may require significant 
constraints on the future operation of the satellite which 
might be avoided with a physical modification made before 
launch. 
 
-The United States is concerned that, absent a technical 
solution prior to launch, the satellite will either cause 
unacceptable interference to U.S.-licensed networks already 
recognized in the ITU Master Register, or that the operations 
of the Venesat-1/Simon Bolivar will have to be so handicapped 
that its utility will be significantly diminished for its 
users.  Obviously neither your government nor China Great 
Wall Industry Corporation would want to have facilitated such 
adverse outcomes. 
 
-We are speaking directly with the governments of Venezuela 
and Uruguay to try to reach a conclusion acceptable to all. 
We urge that you similarly engage with the Venezuelans with 
the goal of encouraging them to get to acceptable conclusion. 
 
 
¶7.  (U) Washington appreciates Post's assistance in 
delivering these points. 
RICE 
 
 
NNNN 
 



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