Come clean on RazakSat-2 satellite programme, MP tells Putrajaya

The government should give a "thorough and honest" report of its satellite programme RazakSat-2, which will now cost almost RM272 million - a 35% increase from its actual budget (RM200 million), DAP's Steven Sim said

The Bukit Mertajam MP said he was amazed as to how the cost had "ballooned" by RM71.9 million when no substantial work has been done on the project.

Yesterday in Parliament, Deputy Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Dr. Abu Bakar Mohamad Diah said the project, which was announced in 2011, will now be launched in 2016 - a year from its previous launch date.

The satellite's predecessor - the RazakSat-1 - which was launched into space in 2009 at a cost of RM142 million was terminated after only a year in operation due to major failures.

The 2011 Auditor-General's Report stated that the malfunctions caused the satellite to take 1,328 unusable mapping images that were inaccurate by up to 37km.

It said that state-owned Astronautic Technology Sdn Bhd (ATSB), which operates RazakSat, lost RM10.89 million in 2009, of which RM7.7 million went towards insurance premiums for the faulty satellite.

"The operational lifespan of RazakSat is three years. But the RazakSat satellite failed to function fully on August 30, 2010, a year and sixteen days from launch date," Auditor-General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang had written.

Yesterday, Abu Bakar told the House that the RazakSat-2 programme is now at the stage of "selecting technological partners" to work with ATSB.

However, Sim is sceptical that the project will even see a launch.

"Two years have passed (since the announcement) and now the government is telling us that they are still in search of technological partners to work with ATSB.

"Ironically, Singapore which announced its first commercial remote sensing satellite TeLEOS-1 early this year will launch the satellite into space by 2015," he said in a statement today.

The MP noted the escalating cost of the project, which "has not even started two years after it was announced", showed a lack of "serious commitment" by the government.

"The delay in this project reminds us of the delay in launching RazakSat-1 which eventually failed and cost the country RM142 million."