SupremeSAT: Is it a Sri Lankan satellite?

Some NPP supporters through their social media handles even demanded the resignation of  Dr. Amarasuriya as the PM. They accused that the BOI officials appointed by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for the misleading data.

These facts corroborate Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa’s recent statements on ITU’s non-cognisance of any Sri Lankan satellite and unoccupied Sri Lankan orbital slots

If the satellite was built in China and launched from China, and it is in a Chinese orbital slot, how can it be called Sri Lanka’s first satellite? But UPFA leaders did so

The statement made by Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya on the controversial SupemeSAT satellite  popularly known as “Chichi’s Rocket” has put the leaders of and the supporters of the National People’s Power (NPP) in a tight spot. 

It was totally conflicting to the stance maintained first by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) for the past 13 years and later by the NPP, resulting in giving ammunition to the Opposition, especially to the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). 

Answering an oral question by SLPP member D. V. Chanaka on the matter, the Prime Minister, quoting BOI reports, stated that state funds have not been utilised for the satellite project by  SupemeSAT, a company approved by the Board of Investment (BOI) and that it has generated an income of over Rs. 343 billion over eight years from 2015 to 2023. 

SLPP leaders always preferred to brag about this satellite project. They also claimed that Rohitha Rajapaksa, the third son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and affectionately called by the Rajapaksa family “Chichi” was the chief engineer of the project. However, the Opposition from the inception viewed it as a waste of public funds just for the interest of one person. They have been maintaining the position that the satellite project was an utter flop. 

Against this backdrop, Trade Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe, who had been criticising the project since its launch in 2012, immediately disputed Dr. Amarasuriya’s statement. In an unprecedented turn of events, he claimed that  BOI officials have provided the Prime Minister with wrong information. He stated that the company headed by R.M. Manivannan had generated not billions as read out by the PM but only Rs. 342 million, which is not an income from the satellite project, but as a company.

SupremeSAT company and the SLPP seemed to be in seventh heaven while the supporters of the NPP were down in the dumps with the Premier’s statement. Some NPP supporters through their social media handles even demanded the resignation of  Dr. Amarasuriya as the PM. They accused that the BOI officials appointed by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for the misleading data.

Supporting the position taken by Minister Samarasinghe, Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa who is also the Cabinet Spokesman told the media that There were no satellites in the orbital slots allocated to Sri Lanka. 

On the other hand, the SLPP and some other Opposition parties, who have been claiming that  NPP leaders were a bunch of liars, are attempting to convince the masses that the conflict between the statements of the PM and the trade minister has proved their point. They who have been claiming that the ruling party is about to be split also argued that the SupremeSAT controversy was another manifestation of the infighting between the JVP and the NPP. 

SupremeSAT (Pvt) Ltd signed an investment agreement in May 2012 with the Board of Investment (BOI) announcing  plans to take Sri Lanka into the global space race. In a media statement, the company then said it has entered into an exclusive partnership agreement with China’s state-owned China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) for the Design, Manufacturing and Launching of the satellite and also to secure the marketing facilities of many other satellites owned and operated by CGWIC and also China Satellites Communications Corporation.

The statement by the PM that  SupremeSAT was not a state project corroborates with this statement. However, conflicting claims have been made by the then ruling party, United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) which was also the predecessor of the SLPP on the relationship of the company with the state. The satellite carried the Sri Lanka flag and  SupremeSAT chief Manivannan had attributed it in those days to the patriotism of his group.

When former Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commissions (TRC), Anusha Pelpita always maintained the position that the government was never involved in the SupremeSAT project, Manivannan had said: “To us, the President is the government, not a public official appointed by him.” Although many in the then government preferred the satellite to be called the “first Sri Lankan satellite,” Director of Technology, Research and Development Unit of the Ministry of Technology and Research Himali Athawudage also said the project was initiated by a private company.

Manivannan had stated that the long delay on the part of the TRC to approve the permission for the use of Sri Lanka’s own orbital slots for the satellite, they were “reluctantly paying the Chinese government to use one of their orbital slots that covers Sri Lanka’s ground area.” 

On the other hand, Pelpita had stated that Sri Lanka should seek approval from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) if the two orbital slots earmarked by the country are to be used, and that because this satellite is not relevant to the government, the TRC didn’t apply for approval of the ITU.

Hence, it is obvious that the project did not have the approval of the ITU and there were no satellites in the Sri Lanka’s orbital slots.  These facts corroborate Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa’s recent statements on ITU’s non-cognisance of any Sri Lankan satellite and unoccupied Sri Lankan orbital slots. 

If the satellite was built in China and launched from China, and it is in a Chinese orbital slot, how can it be called Sri Lanka’s first satellite? But UPFA leaders did so. 

The UNP which then included the current SJB as well was highly critical of the project then. Tissa Attanayake, the then General Secretary of the UNP, on the day of the satellite’s launch in 2012 questioned in Parliament what the government’s connection was with SupremeSAT to help them obtain USD 360m, a big amount of money, from China. Accusing the Mahinda Rajapaksa government of selling ‘our space area to China.’in December 2012, Ranil Wickremasinghe, who was then the Leader of Opposition, raised a query in the Parliament on China using satellite orbit slots allocated to Sri Lanka.  

Leader of the Opposition, Sajith Premadasa, raised concerns in Parliament in August 2023 about the expenditure on the launch of the SupremeSAT satellite in 2012, comparing the cost of it with that of India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft launch. Now, following Prime Minister Amarasuriya’s recent statement, the UNP/SJB leaders have become ostriches, leaving the JVP/NPP leaders to bear the brunt, as in the case of allegations that the Rajapakses have stashed billions of dollars in Uganda.

How do UNP leaders view the issue? They are silent as in the case of Uganda. The SLPP is not bragging about the satellite now.