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Did Canada punish Russia for 2008 Georgia invasion by moving satellite?

sudhir007

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Did Canada punish Russia for 2008 Georgia invasion by moving satellite? - Winnipeg Free Press

Canada attempted to sanction Russia for its 2008 invasion of Georgia by switching to India for the launch of SAPPHIRE, this country's first military satellite, a top military expert says.

James Fergusson, a University of Manitoba expert on defence and security, was commenting on a leaked U.S. diplomatic cable from Ottawa.

The cable, dated Oct. 6, 2008, classified as secret but posted on the website Wikileaks, was written under the headline: "Canada considering space launch alternatives due to Russia's invasion of Georgia."

Russian tanks had rolled across the border into Georgia in August 2008 to aid separatists in the breakaway region of South Ossetia. Fergusson says there were concerns in the West and among the NATO allies about the conflict.

"This was an attempt to signal displeasure over Russian actions and, given the economic situation, this is money for the Russian space industry," he said in an interview.

It's estimated that the satellite's launch cost is about $4.5 million. Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, also handles commercial satellite launches.

The cable says Department of National Defence managers of Project SAPPHIRE had planned to launch the satellite into orbit using a Russian spacecraft "in late 2009 or early 2010."

It quotes Phillip Baines, a senior adviser with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, saying that, "due to the Russian invasion of Georgia, Canada was interested in looking elsewhere for launch services."

SAPPHIRE is now scheduled to be launched in early 2012 — from several thousand kilometres away.

The cable also says the Canadian official wanted to know if the U.S., "intends to broaden its bilateral safeguards to permit satellite launches from India."

The DFAIT adviser pointed out that India had not signed the international Non-Proliferation Treaty limiting the spread of nuclear weapons.

Baines was doing his job and raising a warning flag to Canada's most powerful, closest ally, Fergusson says.

"We're turning to India to launch a military satellite (and) this may look like an inconsistency in policy," he said.

The Canadian Press sought comment from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade but did not receive a response as to why India — and not Russia — was chosen as the launch partner.

The switch to India may have been a one-shot deal, said Fergusson, the director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at the University of Manitoba.

"We have no formal policy to prohibit Russia from launching the few satellites we ever launch," he added.

On the other hand, Fergusson also suggests that India's non-signature of the treaty no longer appears to be an issue.

"My hunch is that the outcome of all this is that the current government has said this is not a problem and we're going ahead."

The political-studies professor says the United States was also thinking about its own strategic relationship with India because military satellites wind up operating within the American space surveillance network.

As part of the U.S. space surveillance network, SAPPHIRE will provide the Canadian military "with the means to protect Canadian security and sovereignty interests in and through space," said an emailed statement from the Department of National Defence.

Kevin Shortt, the head of the Canadian Space Society, gets upset when politics plays a role in deciding which country should launch Canadian satellites.

After numerous delays, SAPPHIRE is now tentatively due to be launched on an Indian rocket in March 2012, along with NEOSSat, another Canadian satellite.

NEOSSat will be used to monitor satellites and other objects in near-Earth orbit, like asteroids, which could pose a threat to the planet.

MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates won the contract to build SAPPHIRE in October 2007.

Shortt doubts politics was a key factor in the decision to allow India to launch Sapphire, instead of Russia.

He says the bottom line is that India was able to provide a cheaper launcher and the decision had more to do with economics than with the invasion of Georgia.

"This is based on some discussions I have been privy to which involved members of the Canadian Space Agency and DND," he said.

But Shortt also complains that Canada has a tough time trying to get its satellites launched by India because it is sometimes bumped to the bottom of the list.

"It always becomes a matter of, if a higher-paying customer comes along, or a larger payload or whatever, there's a juggling that goes on and Canada isn't at the top of the priority list," Shortt said.

"When you start adding in things like the political playing field, non-proliferation agreements and this kind of stuff, you ... dwindle it down even further," he said.

Shortt adds that the whole episode — including the concern about Russia and Georgia, and fear of being demoted on India's priority list — illustrates why Canada should have its own launch capabilities.

A Canadian Forces official says the launch of SAPPHIRE has been delayed because the rocket's primary payload is not yet ready.

The delay might also stem from a more basic logistical snafu: one of the rockets India uses to launch commercial satellites went out of control and was lost in April 2010.

That's the factor cited by David Cooper — the chief executive of Microsat Systems Canada Inc., which won a $12-million contract to build NEOSSat.

He says the 2010 accident held up other launches by the commercial wing of the Indian Space Research Organization, because the space agency wanted to do a thorough investigation.

"Consequently, there was a long backlog of polar launches that got held up," Cooper said in an interview.

"It's a fact of life in the satellite business that these things happen (and) the price of losing a launch is huge in terms of the rocket and the payload.

MSCI was contracted to build NEOSSat for the Canadian Space Agency and Cooper says India was picked as its launcher because it offered the best price.
 
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in the end everybody will end up doing business with India . no matter what the circumstance.
 
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India is a true friend of Russia so they will not do it if they know that it will upset Russia :rolleyes:
 
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Launching satellite is a commercial venture. It does not scare any superpower in any way and I do not think Russians would mind India launching satellite.
 
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Not much of a punishment since NASA itself uses Russian spacecrafts since [and before] the space shuttle was phased out...

Btw, Westtowel you know that image you are using as an avatar is of Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian mass murdering lunatic?
 
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Hardly a punishment for Russians. The entire ISS is dependent on Russian shuttle supplies. The space race is still dominated with US pulling back on NASA programs and Russia taking over. What's more, even we use indigenous tech that was once learned from Russian space systems.

In a way, there's no way of avoiding the Russians when it comes to space. :P. But what the heck, you're welcome to do business with us Canada. :D
 
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So ? does it mean China should not sell Rice because It affects the sell of Basmati rice of Pakistan? It is business, Customer decided whom he want to give order.

Bad comparison. China buys Basmati rice from Pakistan but India does not pay Russia for launching satellites.
It was also the Russians who gave India such technology in the first place, just to hear Indian members behaving like this is enough to make them weep in sorrow. I thought India was supposed to be the most trusted friends? Now they are willing to do business with others even though it may hurt the relationship.
 
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Bad comparison. China buys Basmati rice from Pakistan but India does not pay Russia for launching satellites.
It was also the Russians who gave India such technology in the first place, just to hear Indian members behaving like this is enough to make them weep in sorrow. I thought India was supposed to be the most trusted friends? Now they are willing to do business with others even though it may hurt the relationship.


So who gave China help in space? it was Russia was it not
 
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Bad comparison. China buys Basmati rice from Pakistan but India does not pay Russia for launching satellites.
It was also the Russians who gave India such technology in the first place, just to hear Indian members behaving like this is enough to make them weep in sorrow. I thought India was supposed to be the most trusted friends? Now they are willing to do business with others even though it may hurt the relationship.

Guys ... just ignore him. He isn't worth a reply.

Anyway, his own posts prove his stupidity and distorted views ... let him have them; who cares.
 
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So who gave China help in space? it was Russia was it not

That has nothing to do with Georgia and how someone took it out on the Russians by paying its close friend instead which they gladly took with both hands? It goes to show India too has the tendency to take advantage of its close friend when opportunity arises and when they see fit does it not?

Guys ... just ignore him. He isn't worth a reply.

Anyway, his own posts prove his stupidity and distorted views ... let him have them; who cares.

Not distorted at all, but claiming to be friends and then taking advantage of them is distorted indeed.
 
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That has nothing to do with Georgia and how someone took it out on the Russians by paying its close friend instead which they gladly took with both hands? It goes to show India too has the tendency to take advantage of its close friend when opportunity arises and when they see fit does it not?


I don't think you know how business works, this was a commercial contract that was awarded to ISRO by Canada how is that taking advantage? this is business
 
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lol, canada trying to scare a superpower!

Meray Bhai, have you read the history of Canada in 40's/50s and the project it worked on both Atomic Bombs, chemical weapons and other weapons and voluntarily shut down all completed projects in favor of peace. Did you know how much uranium Canada has and all the nuclear facilities if starts to use weapons grade uranium Canada can make 100+ Nukes in a Year. You have to see thought and read the history before a joke.

-Canada has the world’s largest reserves of high-grade low-cost uranium, located mostly in northern Saskatchewan.
-Canada is the largest producer of uranium in the world, with 23% of global production in 2007.
-In 2007, Canada produced 9,476 tonnes of uranium, all from mines in northern Saskatchewan.
-Nearly 85% of Canada’s uranium production is exported. The remainder is used to fuel CANDU reactors in Canada.
-With its resource base and current output, Canada is well positioned to maintain its leadership in uranium production in the future.

Russians ought to be scared of Canada, Canada has and can acquire and use AB from NATO under pretext of safely from russian, who will listen to russians? The whole world knows Canada is a peaceful nation and the whole world considers russians as the harassers naturally russians will suffer, Canada may suffer as well as a backlash but the story goes don't harass someone before he haunts you.
 
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