DATE=8/11/98 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-236935 TITLE=SEA LAUNCH COOPERATION STOPPED (L-ONLY) BYLINE=MIKE O'SULLIVAN DATELINE=LOS ANGELES CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: THE U-S AEROSPACE COMPANY BOEING HAS BEEN ORDERED TO TEMPORARILY STOP COOPERATING WITH ITS INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS ON A SEA-GOING SATELLITE LAUNCH SYSTEM. V-O-A'S MIKE O'SULLIVAN REPORTS THE U-S STATE DEPARTMENT ORDERED COLLABORATION SUSPENDED BECAUSE OF FEARS THAT SENSITIVE TECHNOLOGY HAD BEEN ILLEGALLY TRANSFERRED. TEXT: THE U-S STATE DEPARTMENT CONFIRMED THIS WEEK THAT ON JULY 27TH, IT ORDERED BOEING TO STOP COOPERATING WITH ITS PARTNERS IN RUSSIA, UKRAINE, AND NORWAY ON THE SEA LAUNCH PROGRAM. BOEING IS THE MAJOR INVESTOR IN THE 500-MILLION-DOLLAR PROJECT. OVERSEAS PARTNERS INCLUDE R-S-C ENERGIA OF MOSCOW, WHICH OPERATES THE MIR SPACE STATION, AND THE UKRAINIAN PRODUCER OF THE "ZENIT" ROCKET. A U-S OFFICIAL SAYS THE STATE DEPARTMENT IS RESPONDING TO WHAT SHE CALLS "SERIOUS CONCERNS" OVER A POSSIBLE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER, AND SAYS THE TEMPORARY SUSPENSION IS NORMAL PRACTICE IN SUCH INQUIRIES. THE SEA LAUNCH PROGRAM, WHICH IS BASED IN LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA, WILL PLACE COMMERCIAL SATELLITES IN ORBIT FROM A CONVERTED OIL DRILLING PLATFORM POSITIONED 22-HUNDRED KILOMETERS SOUTHEAST OF HAWAII. THE FIRST LAUNCH IS SCHEDULED FOR EARLY NEXT YEAR. BOEING OFFICIALS HOPE TO KEEP ON SCHEDULE, BUT SAY A DELAY IS POSSIBLE, DEPENDING ON THE LENGTH OF THE GOVERNMENT INQUIRY. BOEING SPOKESMAN TIM DOLAN SAYS THE INFORMATION RELEASED TO OVERSEAS PARTNERS WAS NOT CLASSIFIED. HE SAYS AN INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC PROJECT OF THIS SCALE IS UNPRECEDENTED, AND EVERYONE INVOLVED IS BEING "VERY, VERY CAREFUL." BUT HE SAYS TECHNICAL PROCEDURES THAT WERE IN PLACE WERE NOT ADEQUATE. THE BOEING SPOKESMAN SAYS THE PARTNERS ON THE PROJECT CAN CONTINUE TO WORK INDEPENDENTLY, BUT COLLABORATIVE ENGINEERING AND TESTING WILL BE STOPPED FOR THE DURATION OF THE PROBE. (SIGNED) NEB/MOS/WDC/JO 11-Aug-98 5:29 PM EDT (2129 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .