We've rented the satellite like booking a hotel room, says former PM Bagratyan

“Hraparak” newspaper writes: In an interview with former Prime Minister Grant Bagratyan:

- There was a report about the launch of the Armenian satellite by Space-X. This is considered a new era in the history of Armenia. What can you say about this?

- Of course, this is news. Until now, we did not have a permanent satellite, but now we do. However, I want to tell you that as of now, there are 2,500 satellites orbiting the Earth, more than half of which are commercial. About 100 countries are using satellite services on a permanent and periodic basis. A few years ago, I raised the question of when the Armenian state would start using those services. Specifically, Azerbaijan has had different times of 2-4 satellites over the past decade.

- Mr. Bagratyan, what made it possible for Armenia to have a satellite now?

- Simply, this market is developing now, the number of satellites is continuously increasing, and many commercial companies have started offering services: American NASA, Space-X, Russian Roscosmos, the Chinese National Space Administration, Japan, and the European satellite company GEOSYS. It’s a straightforward matter; when we say ‘Armenian satellite,’ we didn’t build that satellite; we are just renting it for ourselves. It’s akin to booking a hotel room. You fill in how long you need it and choose the services you would like to receive.

- Why wasn’t such an attempt made in Armenia before?

- I must surprise you; such attempts were made in Armenia in 2002-2003 when the Yerevan Brandy Factory applied for satellite services, mapping all of Armenia and presenting to Minister of Agriculture Davit Zadoyan how many vineyards, tomato and eggplant bushes, apricot, and peach orchards there are. It was done through such a professional program that afterwards, inquiries from the National Statistical Service to the agricultural divisions of the marzpetarans about how many orchards we have became utterly meaningless, and the provision of figures. It turned out that there were 9,500 hectares of vineyards instead of the statistically reported 14,000 hectares.

- So, we had a satellite at the brandy factory, but why wasn’t there a stir like today?

- Well, you know, it was just a modern service. It’s similar to me standing up and saying, ‘Look, I have WhatsApp.’ The brandy factory just ordered the service from GEOSYS and provided correct information to Minister Davit Zadoyan, who understood the lies of the statistical service. Moreover, in 2002-2003, you could see a 2-3 inch nail from space. They say with today's updated technologies, even a needle can be seen.

- Why did Azerbaijan keep several satellites? Were they not for military purposes?

- Before the war, naturally, the deployment of those satellites, which the Armenian government was informed about, aimed to capture images from above to see where we have equipment, ammunition depots, and so on. Currently, those satellites, particularly SPACE-X, are providing similar services to the Ukrainian side, transmitting from above that a cannon or tank is moving to a certain area. I regret that the Armenian government is trying to obtain satellite services quite late, after suffering a defeat in the war.

- Now, there are commercial satellites that provide free information; wouldn’t it have been cheaper to purchase that information?

- We did that; we have bought it.

- Then what’s ‘Armenian’ about that satellite?

- I don’t know; these are services that, as I mentioned, we have received before. It is just characteristic of the authorities to present everything as if it were something extraordinary.

- Why are they keeping this deal secret? Why do you think they don’t disclose the price?

- You are right; we have, in fact, purchased satellite services, and it is appropriate to ask why we bought it from Space-X, why not through a competition, whether this was budgeted or not, and why we want to create a show out of something that is a very ordinary matter.

For more details, refer to today’s issue of the newspaper.