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### Viewing cable 09BUENOSAIRES1263, MTCR: UPDATE ON ARGENTINA'S SPACE LAUNCH VEHICLE (SLV)

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
09BUENOSAIRES1263 | 2009-12-03 17:49 | 2011-04-24 00:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Buenos Aires
Appears in these articles: http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1367868-eeuu-temio-un-plan-para-revivir-el-misil-condor

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    VZCZCXYZ0001
    RR RUEHWEB

    DE RUEHBU #1263/01 3371749
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    R 031749Z DEC 09
    FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0139
    INFO MERCOSUR COLLECTIVE
    MISSILE TECHNOLOGY CONTROL REGIME COLLECTIVE

` `

    C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 001263

    SIPDIS
    FOR ISN/MTR - PAM DURHAM

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/12/03
    TAGS: MTCRE PARM PREL MNUC ETTC TSPA AR
    SUBJECT: MTCR: UPDATE ON ARGENTINA'S SPACE LAUNCH VEHICLE (SLV)
    PROGRAM

    REF: STATE 01759

     CLASSIFIED BY: Thomas P. Kelly, DCM, State, EXEC; REASON: 1.4(B), (D)

     ¶1. (C) Summary:  ESTHCouns met on December 2 with Conrado Varotto,
     Executive Director of CONAE (the Argentine space agency), to
     discuss the latest developments in Argentina's space launch vehicle
     (SLV) program (reftel).  Varotto reported three unsuccessful ground
     tests of the SLV engine and said that a fourth would take place
     shortly.  He reiterated his commitment to full transparency about
     the SLV program.  Varotto also expressed serious concerns about
     recent developments that could force CONAE to share part of or even
     surrender its Cordoba space center for the fabrication of military
     solid fuel rockets, a project allegedly pushed by Planning Minister
     Julio De Vido.  Varotto said he had asked Foreign Minister Jorge
     Taiana to personally appeal to President Cristina Fernandez de
     Kirchner (CFK) and explain that to share the space center with
     military fabrication would spell the end of Argentina's civilian
     space program.  End Summary.

     ¶2. (C) Varotto first provided updates on the development of the
     SLV.  So far, he said, CONAE had conducted three tests of the
     engine on the ground, all three unsuccessful, with a fourth test
     planned for mid-December.  The engine exploded in the first two
     tests, due to liquid fuel leaks, and failed on the third, due to
     materials problems with the exhaust.  Varotto noted that CONAE has
     no intention of attempting a launch until the engine is thoroughly
     and successfully tested on the ground.

     ¶3. (C) Varotto also informed ESTHCouns about the planned launch on
     December 17 of a sounding rocket by the Ministry of Defense's
     research agency, CITEFA.  He noted that he had received an
     invitation from CITEFA to attend the launch, which erroneously
     touted it as part of the SLV program.  Varotto said he had written
     to CITEFA to protest this characterization and to decline to attend
     the launch.  He explained that CONAE had only requested from CITEFA
     that it allow CONAE to fit test guidance equipment atop the
     sounding rocket in order to test the equipment at high altitude,
     nothing more.  By no means is CONAE cooperating with CITEFA on the
     SLV development, he stressed.

     ¶4. (C) Varotto was worried about what could be perceived as a
     ""militarization"" of CONAE's purely civilian SLV development
     program.  He reiterated his complete commitment to transparency and
     wanted to ensure that Washington was informed.  He believed that
     CITEFA had misunderstood the extent of its cooperation with CONAE.
     ""We have no written agreement to cooperate with CITEFA on the space
     launch vehicle,"" Varotto said, ""and it makes no sense for us to do
     so.""  He explained that the SLV is designed as a liquid fuel
     launcher, while CITEFA only handles solid fuel rockets.

     ¶5. (C) Asking for confidentiality, Varotto then shared a ""serious""
     issue he believed could affect CONAE's SLV program.  He said that
     French military equipment manufacturer Dassault had contacted
     Fabricaciones Militares (a state company under Planning Minister De
     Vido) to explore the possibility of refurbishing old Argentine
     military solid fuel short-range (30-40 km) rockets, for subsequent
     sales to the region.  Officials from Fabricaciones Militares had
     visited CONAE's space center in Cordoba, where the SLV is being
     developed.  Varotto said he later found out that the reason for the
     visit was that the Ministry of Planning was considering the use of
     some of CONAE's facilities and machinery for the fabrication of
     solid-fuel rockets.  Varotto said he immediately contacted Foreign
     Minister Taiana (the titular head of Argentina's space program) to
     state unequivocally that CONAE was totally opposed to any military
     use of its facilities.  ""This would mean the end of the Argentine
     SLV program,"" he stressed, ""and someone would have to take
     responsibility for this.""

     ¶6. (C) While Dassault appears in the end to have decided to
     negotiate with the Brazilians rather than the Argentines, Varotto
     said that Fabricaciones Militares is now considering moving forward
     with its own project of manufacturing rockets for the use of the
     Argentine military and for regional military sales.  He said that
     Planning Minister Julio De Vido is pushing this idea to completely
     retool CONAE's space center to manufacture military rockets.  The
     situation has now escalated into a confrontation between FM Taiana
     against Planning Minister DeVido and Defense Minister Nilda Garre,

     Varotto said.  He added that he had asked FM Taiana to make a
     personal appeal to the President.  ""It is an existential question
     for us,"" he said, ""and that is why I am appealing to the
     President.""  Varotto was adamant that ""to share our civilian space
     center with military fabrication means the end of our SLV program.""
     He stressed that CONAE is totally opposed to having the two
     projects cohabitate within the same center.  Moreover, he said, the
     space center is entirely focused on the development of liquid fuel
     boosters and is simply not tooled for large-scale fabrication of
     solid fuel rockets.

     ¶7. (C) Comment:  Varotto was clearly worried about damage to his
     credibility, and he insisted that his unwavering commitment to full
     transparency be relayed to Washington.  Argentina's space program
     involves much more than the SLV project, as CONAE has for many
     years pursued very productive cooperation with NASA on the design
     and building of satellites (the latest one, SAC-D, to be launched
     from California at the end of 2010.)  Varotto does not want rumors
     and a possible military use of his space center to jeopardize space
     cooperation with the United States.  In the end, he trusts that CFK
     will maintain the long-standing civilian focus of space research
     and let CONAE retain exclusive use of its space center in Cordoba.
     End Comment.
     MARTINEZ

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