No Signal, No Satellite : Rajapaksas Quiet as SupremeSAT Questions Mount

COLOMBO (News 1st); Cabinet Spokesperson and Minister of Health (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa has raised serious concerns over the legitimacy and transparency of Sri Lanka’s involvement in the SupremeSAT satellite project, questioning whether the country ever truly owned or operated a satellite as claimed.

Speaking at a media briefing, Dr. Jayatissa explained the role of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) — the UN’s specialized agency for global coordination in information and communication technologies. He outlined the three-step process required for satellite registration:

- Submission of technical specifications by the relevant national authority.

- Coordination with other member states to avoid signal interference.

- Final registration and international recognition of the satellite.

This process typically takes three to seven years, and Sri Lanka’s designated orbital slots — 121.5° and 50° — are managed by the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL).

However, according to ITU records, no satellite is currently registered under Sri Lanka’s name at these orbital positions.

Furthermore, while the SupremeSAT company previously claimed to have launched a satellite named SupremeSAT-01, later renamed ChinaSAT-12, the ITU database does not list either satellite under Sri Lanka’s allocated slots.

Dr. Jayatissa revealed that SupremeSAT entered into an agreement with the Board of Investment (BOI) on May 23, 2012, and listed satellite assets worth Rs. 12 billion in its 2013–14 audit reports. These assets were later removed from the 2014–15 reports, and no revenue from satellite operations has ever been declared in the company’s financial filings.

While SupremeSAT claims to offer multiple services beyond satellite operations, the Minister noted that revenue figures for 2015–2018 — ranging from Rs. 19 million to Rs. 34 million — do not specify any income derived from satellite activity.

In December 2016, the company informed the BOI that it had removed the satellite assets.

Speaking at a media briefing, Dr. Jayatissa referred to a 2012 article in the Lankadeepa newspaper, which portrayed a certain person as a hidden figure in the satellite venture. He acknowledged that the said person had engaged with the company at the time, helping to plan the launch and coordinate technical aspects, but emphasized that the said person remained in the background.

Now, the Minister says, it’s time for those who were once silent to speak up. “If someone knows the full story of this satellite — its value, its revenue, its location — they should come forward. If this was truly a profitable national project, the Rajapaksas wouldn’t have stayed silent for 13 years. Nor would their government, which lasted two years, have kept it hidden.”