US embassy cable - 03ROME1105

UNCLAS ROME 001105 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
FOR OES/SAT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TSPA, IT 
SUBJECT: BEPPO SAX FALLING DOWN 
 
 
1. FOLLOWING IS THE TEXT OF A NOTE VERBALE RECEIVED 
MARCH 13 FROM THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS. 
 
2. BEGIN TEXT: 
THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF ITALY PRESENTS ITS 
COMPLIMENTS TO THE EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES AND HAS 
THE HONOR TO INFORM ON THE FOLLOWING. 
 
ON APRIL 30, 2002, AT THE END OF ITS OPERATIVE LIFE, 
THE ITALIAN SATELLITE BEPPO-SAX LAUNCHED IN 1996 FOR 
    SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES BY THE ITALIAN SPACE AGENCY (ASI), 
HAD TO BE SWITCHED OFF. 
 
BEPPO-SAX WILL PROGRESSIVELY LOSE ALTITUDE AND 
DISINTEGRATE IN ITS REENTRY THROUGH LOW LAYERS OF THE 
ATMOSPHERE, BETWEEN APRIL 25 AND JUNE 13, 2003, WITHIN 
A STRIP (+/-4 DEGREES) FROM MINUS 4 TO PLUS 4 DEGREES 
OF LATITUDE ACROSS THE EQUATOR. 
 
IN SPITE OF THE DESTRUCTIVE IMPACT AGAINST THE 
ATMOSPHERE, SOME DEBRIS WILL MOST LIKELY REACH THE 
EARTH SURFACE. 
 
FOR THE EVENT, THE FOLLOWING TEMPORARY MISSION 
STRUCTURE HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED AT THE PRESIDENZA DEL 
CONSIGLIO: 
 
PRESIDENZA DEL CONSIGLIO DEI MINISTRI 
DIPARTIMENTO DELLA PROTEZIONE CIVILE 
VIA ULPIANO, 11 
00193 ROMA 
STRUTTURA TEMPORANEA DI MISSIONE 
H. 8.00-20.00: TEL. 0039 06 6804333251 - 0039 06 
68043257 - 0039 06 68043253 
TEL: SALA OPERATIVA H.24: 0039 06 68202314 - 0039 06 
68897689 FAX 0039 06 68897758 
E-MAIL: BEPPOSAX@PROTEZIONECIVILE.IT 
 
SINCE LAST DECEMBER NATIONS LISTED BELOW HAVE BEEN 
WARNED BY COMPETENT ITALIAN EMBASSIES.  BEING 
POTENTIALLY AFFECTED BY THE REENTRY CONSEQUENCES, THEY 
    HAVE BEEN INVITED TO DESIGNATE A NATIONAL "FOCAL POINT" 
FOR ACTIVATING AN ADEQUATE INFORMATION FLOW ON THE 
SATELLITE'S DECAY AND COORDINATING POTENTIAL CIVIL 
PROTECTION ACTIVITIES. 
 
-    AFRICA: BURUNDI, CAMEROON, CENTRAL AFRICAN 
     REPUBLIC, CONGO, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, 
     EQUATORIAL GUINEA, ETHIOPIA, GABON, KENYA, RWANDA, SAO 
     TOME AND PRINCIPE, SEYCHELLES, SOMALIA, SUDAN, 
     TANZANIA, UGANDA.  CAP PALMAS, AT THE BORDER BETWEEN 
     LIBERIA AND COTE D'IVOIRE, AND THE NIGER RIVER DELTA, 
     IN NIGERIA, ARE ALSO SKIMMED BY THE LIMITING NORTHERN 
     LATITUDE; 
 
-    ASIA: BRUNEI, INDONESIA, MALAYSIA, MALDIVES, 
     SINGAPORE; 
 
-    OCEANIA: BAKER ISLAND (USA), FEDERATED STATES OF 
     MICRONESIA, HOWLAND ISLAND (USA), JARVIS ISLAND (USA), 
     KIRIBATI, MARSHALL ISLANDS, NAURU, PALAU, PAPUA NEW 
     GUINEA; 
 
-    SOUTH AMERICA: BRAZIL, COLOMBIA, ECUADOR, FRENCH 
     GUIANA, GUYANA, PERU, SURINAME, AND VENEZUELA. 
 
AT THIS MOMENT, ONLY CAMEROON, EQUATORIAL GUINEA, 
UGANDA, SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE, INDONESIA, MALAYSIA, 
SINGAPORE, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, KIRIBATI, BRAZIL, FRENCH 
GUIANA AND VENEZUELA HAVE NOMINATED THEIR FOCAL POINTS 
AND COMMUNICATED RELATED TELEPHONE NUMBERS, FAXES AND E- 
MAIL ADDRESSES, ALLOWING ACTIVATION OF PROPER LINKS 
    WITH THE ITALIAN SPACE AGENCY AND DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL 
PROTECTION. 
 
IN CASE COUNTRIES THAT HAVE NOT PROVIDED THEIR FOCAL 
POINTS YET DO NOT REPORT REQUESTED DATA IN SHORT TIME 
TO THE ABOVE MENTIONED ADDRESS, THE TEMPORARY MISSION 
STRUCTURE WILL ACTIVATE THE UNITED NATION OFFICES 
OPERATING ON THOSE NATIONS TERRITORIES, AS IT HAS 
ALREADY BEEN DONE FOR SOMALIA. 
 
THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF ITALY, LOOKING 
FORWARD A POSSIBLY QUICK ANSWER, AVAILS ITSELF OF THIS 
OPPORTUNITY TO RENEW TO THE EMBASSY OF THE UNITED 
STATES THE ASSURANCES OF ITS HIGHEST CONSIDERATION. 
END TEXT. 
 
SEMBLER 
 
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 2003ROME01105 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED