From: <a href="http://www.aftenposten.no/spesial/wikileaksdokumenter/article3969915.ece">Aftenposten</a><br>
Date: 10.9.2009

<pre>
S E C R E T BERLIN 001116 
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/CE PETER SCHROEDER
STATE FOR ISN/MDSP DICK BUENNEKE 
E.O. 12958:
DECL: 09/10/2034
TAGS: ETTC, PGOV, PINR, MCAP, PREL, TSPAM, JP, FR, SP, UK, GM
SUBJECT: GERMAN INTELLIGENCE VIEWS ON OPTICAL RECONNAISSANCE CAPABILITIES 
REF: A. BERLIN 1080 B. BERLIN 1049 C. BERLIN 765 D. BERLIN 601
E. BERLIN 561 F. BERLIN 181 G. 08 BERLIN 1575 
Classified By: Global Affairs Unit Chief Don L. Brown
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 

1. (S//NF)
SUMMARY: The German Intelligence Service (BND) expressed
confidence that Germanys proposal for a High Resolution
Optical System (HiROS) reconnaissance satellite program "will
be realized regardless of the outcome of the German general
elections this month" and is advocating for a US partnership
on HiROS. The BND is adamant that HiROS include infrared
imaging capabilities and that they have priority tasking on at
least three HiROS satellites. In a related development, the
German Space Agency (DLR) is planning on signing a Memorandum
Of Understanding (MOU) with Lockheed Martin for cooperation on
HiROS on September 30 in Denver, CO.

2. (S//NF)
On September 2, EconOff was provided with the notes of a
meeting between Astrium Vice President for Earth Observation,
Navigation on Science, Dr. Reinhold Lutz, and BND Vice
President for Military Affairs, Major General Armin
Hasenpusch, in which they discussed the future of the HiROS
proposal. These notes contained Lutzs summary of the meeting
and were sent as an email to Astrium-Satellites CEO Evert
Dudok and Astrium-Services CEO Eric Beranger. (COMMENT:
Astrium-Satellites Director for External Business
Opportunities and DLR consultant, Tom Walati, was ccd on the
email and forwarded it to EconOff (strictly protect). Walati
is very motivated to promote German-U.S. cooperation on HiROS
and was likely not given permission by Astrium to forward this
email to a USG employee. END COMMENT) END SUMMARY

BND/ASTRIUM HIROS MEETING NOTES 
------------------------------- 

3. (S//NF)
Begin text of informal Embassy translation of German-language
meeting notes taken by Astrium Vice President for Earth
Observation, Navigation and Science, Dr. Reinhold Lutz, with
the subject "HiROS for the BND": The visit of BND General
Hasenpusch, his IMINT-liaison Officer, COL J.K. Trenker, and
addition team members to Astrium produced the following
results:
1) The BND is the official consumer for HiROS - this is
politically uncontested.
2) The BND (Trenker) has concluded a complete market analysis
(of HiROS) with cost/use accounting and submitted the results
to the appropriate Germany agency for review.
3) The BND asked us not to act further politically (on HiROS).
The decision can only be made by the next German government.
(COMMENT: In reference to the post-September 27 German general
elections. END COMMENT)
4) The BND is certain that HiROS will be realized -
independent of the election outcome.
5) HiROS (with three satellites) by design an open system.
Additional capacity (beyond BNDs needs) shall be commercially
marketed. (COMMENT: "open system" in this context implies that
the HiROS system architecture, as a joint
government/commercial system, will be open to industry,
research institutions and academia. END COMMENT)
6) Medium-wavelength infrared (MIR) and thermal-infrared (TIR)
channels are essential (possibly not on every satellite).
(COMMENT: the IR channels in this case refer to the 3-5 micron
thermal spectrum useful for detecting various missile burns.
END COMMENT)
7) In addition to MIR and TIR, a particular unique feature of
real-time three dimensional (3D) image processing is being
considered with a combined system ability for five look angles
per over flight. The 3D real-time software would be developed
by Professor Hirzinger from the German Space Agency (DLR).
8) The BND requires HiROS tasking priority (hidden) for their
own three satellites.
9) Additions to the HiROS constellation (e.g. additional
satellites) through international partnership, for example
with the USA, would be viewed positively so long as the
condition in point (8) is preserved.
10) A partnership with an US operator would fit well within
the German political landscape (this was stressed multiple
times).
11) The BND is aware of the situation that South Korea has
already paid the development costs that are being used for
their goals. (COMMENT: The South Korean "goals" in this case
refers to a partnership between DLR and the Korean Aerospace
Research Institution (KARI) to develop the optical sensor
capability for KOMPSAT-3 and earlier systems. The KOMPSAT-3
sensor is the base design for the sensor that would be used on
HiROS. END COMMENT)
12) The BND does not share the German Ministry of Defenses
(BMVg) position that the German decision to support MUSIS (and
with it the concentration of BMVg competency with Synthetic
Aperture Radar (SAR)) is not viewed as competition but rather
as a desired complement. (COMMENT: The Multinational
Space-based Imaging System (MUSIS) is a proposed EU consortium
composed of France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Spain, Poland, and
the Netherlands that would allow its members to transparently
task/share space-based remote sensing assets/data to meet
intelligence requirements. Under the proposal, France would be
the primary contributor of optical data and Germany the
primary provider of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. END
COMMENT)
13) The Astrium subsidiary InfoTerra Ltd will market HiROSs
commercial capacity. (Dr. Lutz also noted the following) In
conclusion, this confident customer (the BND) has done its
homework. I see the realization of HiROS as very probable. It
is important that a well coordinated action in the direction
of the USA that fits well into the above be undertaken. The
bigger the constellation becomes, all the more attractive the
commercial potential is. We should also discuss this with
Japan. The Japanese firm PASCO has already spoken to Astrium
about HiROS. End text of informal Embassy translation.

DLR TO SIGN HIROS MOU WITH LOCKHEED ON SEPTEMBER 30 
---------------------------------------------------

4. (S//NF)
Walati said DLR is planning on sending high level
representatives headed by Dr. Hubert Reile, DLR Program
Director for Space, to Denver, CO on September 30 to sign a
DLR/Lockheed Martin MOU on HiROS. According to Walati,
Astrium-Germany and DLR, in potential partnership with
OHB-System and Lockheed Martin, are offering to the UAE a
HiROS system with a Ground Resolution Distance (GRD) of 50 cm.
Walati said he has already received "verbal commitments" of
support from the German government on this endeavor provided
that OHB is involved. Walati said Lockheed is interested in
building the ground segment for this system and is also
interested in constructing the satellite busses.

COMMENT 
------- 

5. (S//NF)
The BND has come to the conclusion that having complementary
optical imagery along side Germanys SAR-Lupe data is essential
and is actively promoting HiROS. BND advocates a HiROS
partnership with the US as a way to share costs/risk and well
as provide some political cover from the French. The French
see HiROS as a serious threat to their commercial space
ambitions and are likely working German political channels to
forge support for MUSIS, thus keeping Germany dependent on
France for electro-optical imagery (EO) and preventing
political support for an indigenous German EO capability.
Being uncomfortable relying on France for EO, this is exactly
the situation the BND wants to avoid.

6. (S//NF)
Lutz, a fairly high ranking Astrium official, has accepted
that HiROS is likely going to happen and communicated this
sentiment in his email to the French side of Astrium. It is
unclear how this opinion will be received within French
Astrium or how exactly they will respond to the BNDs
statements. Both Lockheed and the BND emphasized the necessity
of adding infra-red imaging capabilities to HiROS and DLR
views this capability to be of particular interest to
potential USG customers. If an MOU is signed with Lockheed
Martin later this month as expected, this will represent a
significant step towards HiROS becoming a bona fide program.

7. (SBU)
For further information, please contact Shane M. Petersen,
Email: ; SIPRNET: . 

Delawie
</pre>