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Germany Denies Report of Secret Spy Satellite Program with US

03 January 2011 20:01 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Germany is denying allegations that it is developing a secret spy satellite system with the United States, APA reports quoting â€œThe Voice of Americaâ€.
Germany’s aerospace center said Monday that while there is a satellite program, it is neither secret nor intended for espionage.
Earlier Monday, the Norwegian daily Aftenposten published information allegedly from leaked U.S. diplomatic cables, showing that Germany and the United States together were developing the satellite system for spying purposes.
According to Aftenposten, the cables sent from the U.S. Embassy in Berlin said the satellites are to be operational by 2013.
The paper said that due to the controversial nature of the program, U.S. and German officials presented it to the public as a civilian project. But the paper quotes the cables as saying the project is â€œunder the total controlâ€ of the German intelligence service and the German aerospace center.
The diplomatic cables, obtained from the website WikiLeaks and allegedly sent from February 2009 to February 2010, also detail how a number of countries â€” especially France â€” have tried to stop the project.
According to the newspaper, the satellite project â€” named HiROS â€” would have the capability to detect objects on the ground as small as 50 centimeters in diameter and provide images three to five times a day. The system also would have the ability to take infrared images at night, capture activity underground and send images much faster back to earth than satellites currently in service.