Noted with Irony

摘要

We read with interest the article "Nonprofit Group Records Conversation To Show How Firms Cater to the Chinese" in the July 21 issue of Space News [page 4]. We feel it is necessary to respond to this article as we consider that readers may not understand what we believe must be a note of irony from such an experienced and respected journalist as Peter de Selding. Using elements from an alleged conversation strangely indicated as being in "a Chinese dialect" conducted between a local employee operating as a temporary secretary in Eutelsat's representative office in Beijing, and a person falsely presenting himself as a representative of China's "Central Propaganda Department," the article purports that Eutelsat may have imagined some benefit from its W5 satellite going out of service. Beyond the obvious technical impossibility of a missile destroying a satellite in geostationary orbit, it is frankly beyond the boundaries of reason to imagine that Eutelsat could wish that one of its most productive satellites, with a 100 percent filling factor, could be put out of service.