U.S. Components Cleared for Use on UAE's French-built Falcon Eye Satellites

摘要

The U.S. government, after months of indecision, has agreed to permit the export of U.S. satellite components for a French contract to provide two high-resolution optical Earth observation satellites to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), European industry officials said. The decision, which they said came only after the U.S. State Department first agreed to the deal and then withdrew its agreement and passed the subject to the White House, should enable the $1.1 billion Falcon Eye contract to begin its production phase. Nonetheless, the Feb. 12 U.S. approval, during a Feb. 11-12 summit between U.S. President Barack Obama and French President Francois Hollande, of the export to France of satellite components came several weeks after a late January contractual deadline agreed to by UAE and the French contracting team.