SpaceX Falcon 9 : Canceled (GiSat-1)

[joek]

Ummm, is this the "can Block 5 launch Crew Dragon" thread?  I think not.   

Just clearing the air (*cough*).  Carry on.

[ncb1397]

GiSat-1 is implicated in a potential scheme to avoid technology export controls to China.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-maneuvers-to-snag-top-secret-boeing-satellite-technology-1543943490

[gongora]

GiSat-1 is implicated in a potential scheme to avoid technology export controls to China.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-maneuvers-to-snag-top-secret-boeing-satellite-technology-1543943490

I no longer have a subscription to WSJ, could someone summarize it for us?  I saw some earlier mentions about lawsuits related to this payload popping up on Google News but they were also on a paywalled site.

[ncb1397]

GiSat-1 is implicated in a potential scheme to avoid technology export controls to China.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-maneuvers-to-snag-top-secret-boeing-satellite-technology-1543943490

I no longer have a subscription to WSJ, could someone summarize it for us?  I saw some earlier mentions about lawsuits related to this payload popping up on Google News but they were also on a paywalled site.

I don't have one either. Try typing "China Maneuvers to Snag Top-Secret Boeing Satellite Technology" into google.

[mgeagon]

It appears China used a shell corporation based in the Virgin Islands and owned by a Hong Kong business man to initially provide financing to GiSat in exchange for a controlling interest. The founders continued to run the company and purchased the satellite from Boeing. When the GiSat founders learned that China's Ministry of Finance was the true owner in 2017, they quit and filed a lawsuit. The satellite is still being built by Boeing and no technology transfer has occurred to date.

https://www.newsmax.com/t/world/article/893155?section=globaltalk&keywords=boeing-satellite-forced-technology-transfer-intellectual-theft&year=2018&month=12&date=04&id=893155&oref=zenith.news

[EnigmaSCADA]

It appears China used a shell corporation based in the Virgin Islands and owned by a Hong Kong business man to initially provide financing to GiSat in exchange for a controlling interest. The founders continued to run the company and purchased the satellite from Boeing. When the GiSat founders learned that China's Ministry of Finance was the true owner in 2017, they quit and filed a lawsuit. The satellite is still being built by Boeing and no technology transfer has occurred to date.

https://www.newsmax.com/t/world/article/893155?section=globaltalk&keywords=boeing-satellite-forced-technology-transfer-intellectual-theft&year=2018&month=12&date=04&id=893155&oref=zenith.news

<sigh> well, I guess it'll be quite awhile until we can ever cooperate in space.

[ncb1397]

Satellite contract is terminated:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/boeing-backs-out-of-global-ip-satellite-project-financed-by-china-1544142484

[scr00chy]

Satellite contract is terminated:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/boeing-backs-out-of-global-ip-satellite-project-financed-by-china-1544142484

So that's it for SpaceX also?

[woods170]

Satellite contract is terminated:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/boeing-backs-out-of-global-ip-satellite-project-financed-by-china-1544142484

So that's it for SpaceX also?

You don't launch a rocket with no payload on it. So yeah, with the spacecraft contract cancelled it is a safe assumption the launch contract will be terminated as well.

[CorvusCorax]

Well, maybe Boeing wants to orbit the sat anyway and then sell it once in orbit. Functional orbital assets might be worth more than assets still on the ground. But then again you can't as easily reconfigure the rayshaping once its orbital, and with launch costs expected to decrease, leaving it on the ground might be the smarter move...

[Arb]

From the article, emphasis mine:

A person familiar with Boeing’s thinking said ... the company would likely attempt to resell the satellite, which had been nearing completion at a Boeing facility in Los Angeles.