"Was Defence Intelligence's secret R1.4 billion Russian Kondor-E "spy satellite" launched this morning in Kazakhstan?"

19 December 2014

Roscosmos announced that a Kondor-E earth observation satellite was launched this morning from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The Kondor-E satellite was scheduled to be launched at 06h43 (South African Time) this morning.

The launch was initially scheduled to take place at 06h55 (South African Time) on Thursday 18 December 2014, but was reportedly delayed due to "technical reasons".

Significantly, a report claimed the Kondor-E satellite would be launched "in the interests of a foreign customer". The unnamed foreign customer in this case may be South Africa.

We cannot be sure, but the Kondor-E satellite, launched this morning from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, may be Defence Intelligence's Kondor-E "spy satellite", developed under a secret project called "Project Flute".

"Project Flute" refers to Defence Intelligence's secret R1.4 billion contract with Russian company NPO Mashinostroyenia to develop a Kondor-E radar imaging satellite, which was initially signed on 19 May 2006.

The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, has refused to reply to questions about "Project Flute" and the Kondor-E "spy satellite" in Parliament.

However, the fact that Defence Intelligence has a contract with NPO Mashinostroyenia to develop a Kondor-E radar imaging satellite, under "Project Flute", is now an open secret.

The Secretary of Defence, Dr Sam Gulube, conceded at ameeting of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans, on 22 October 2014, that there was a contract to develop a "military satellite" and that the contract was "on track".

There is absolutely no reason why some information about Defence Intelligence's Kondor-E "spy satellite", under "Project Flute", should not be made public.

We need to know whether the Kondor-E satellite launched this morning from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan was launched for Defence Intelligence as part of "Project Flute".

If the Kondor-E satellite was launched for Defence Intelligence as part of 

"Project Flute", then we need to know:

The purpose of the Kondor-E "spy satellite";

Whether, after sinking R1.4 billion into the development of the Kondor-E "spy satellite", it actually works; and

Whether the Kondor-E "spy satellite" will be replaced, and at what cost it will be replaced, when it reaches the end of its five year lifespan in 2019.

We also need to know:

Why the contract for the Kondor-E "spy satellite" was cancelled and then reinstated;

Why the contract for the Kondor-E "spy satellite" incurred more than R200 million in fruitless and wasteful expenditure; and

Whether there were any irregularities in the procurement of the Kondor-E "spy satellite"?

In the end, the minster cannot continue to maintain her silence about Defence Intelligence's Kondor-E "spy satellite" and "Project Flute".

Statement issued by David Maynier MP, DA Shadow Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, December 19 2014

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter