Non-NASA Space Programs

Battlehymn Republic · Post by **Battlehymn Republic** » 2005-03-19 03:14pm

Which nations besides the U.S. has any space programs of importance? A Popular Science article last year listed all of the national, commercial, and private groups interested in space, and the other nations are Russia, China, the EU, Canada, Brazil, Japan, and India.

kheegster · Post by **kheegster** » 2005-03-19 04:52pm

Italy has a space program separate from ESA, although like Canada it's more concentrated towards building satellites and instrumentation than actual launch Israel has a space-program, and have their own launchers. Interestingly, their rockets are launched in towards the west rather the east as is usual, as they don't want any screwed-up launches dumping technology into Arab countries.

The other countries seem about right, although North Korea claimed to have launch a satellite in their Taepo-Dong missile a few years ago

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Battlehymn Republic · Post by **Battlehymn Republic** » 2005-04-16 11:57pm

What about Nigeria? Are you sure there aren't any other space programs of note?

Castor Troy · Post by **Castor Troy** » 2005-04-17 12:00am

Japan and China are worth watching.

Didn't Japan announce they were going to go to the moon?

Elheru Aran · Post by **Elheru Aran** » 2005-04-17 12:06am

Battlehymn Republic wrote:What about Nigeria? Are you sure there aren't any other space programs of note?

Nigeria?

A space program?

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

*Wipes eyes* Ahem.

Okay. Let's see.

Africa? Check.
Bogged-down corrupt topheavy bureaucracy? Check.
Tribalistic politics? Check.
General lassitiude regarding technology? Check.
The fact that if *anything* good comes to Nigeria, it'll get fucked up in a few months? Check.

I could go on and on. I LIVED in that fuckin' country for thirteen years, man! Believe me, when I tell you that the nearest they're gonna get to a space programin the next fifty (at least) years is the occasional proud speech and maybe an astronaut or two going up on the Shuttle....

Battlehymn Republic · Post by **Battlehymn Republic** » 2005-04-17 01:00am

That reply sounded borderline-racist ("triablistic politics"? aren't they an unstable but pluraistic demoracy?), but you lived there so I'll take your word for it. However, I'd think that South Africa or Egypt or even Libya could do a space program, albeit pretty much only weather satellite-level.

Nonetheless, I'm still looking for space programs other than the nations I mentioned in the first post. What about Israel?

Sam Or I · Post by **Sam Or I** » 2005-04-17 04:33am

I am personally excited about the Private US space programs that are under construction.

Ma Deuce · Post by **Ma Deuce** » 2005-04-17 11:04am

Battlehymn Republic wrote:What about Israel?

They launch small satellites, both military and commercial, using their Shavit space launchers, which are based on the Jericho 2 IRBM. As has already been mentioned, these are always launched into a retrograde (westward) orbit to eliminate the possibility that a failed launch will drop sensitive technolegy into neighboring Arab countries...

Crown · Post by **Crown** » 2005-04-17 12:29pm

The EU rocks, 50% of the worlds commercial launches can't be wrong!

Crown · Post by **Crown** » 2005-04-17 12:30pm

Ghetto Edit :: Mother of fuck, I should have said ESA rocks, not 'the EU' ... anyone care to fix that up for me .... ?

Ma Deuce · Post by **Ma Deuce** » 2005-04-17 01:15pm

Crown wrote:The EU rocks, 50% of the worlds commercial launches can't be wrong!

Bah: that's only because the ESA's launch site in French Guyana is so conveniently positioned for launching GeoSync payloads. I'd feel safer putting my payloads on an Atlas II/III/V than an Ariane 5: 100% reliability can't be wrong

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Crown · Post by **Crown** » 2005-04-17 01:17pm

Ma Deuce wrote:
Crown wrote:The EU rocks, 50% of the worlds commercial launches can't be wrong!
Bah: that's only because the ESA's launch site in French Guyana is so conveniently positioned for launching GeoSync payloads. I'd feel safer putting my payloads on an Atlas II/III/V than an Ariane 5: 100% reliability can't be wrong .

Winge. Bitch and moan, typical. And how quickly we forget Ariane's I through to IV mon capitain!

Ma Deuce · Post by **Ma Deuce** » 2005-04-17 01:23pm

Crown wrote:Winge. Bitch and moan, typical. And how quickly we forget Ariane's I through to IV mon capitain!

None of which exist anymore, as the ESA foolishy decided to retire the proven Ariane 4 believing the commercial launch market would boom with super-heavy payloads for Ariane 5 to carry (of course the precise opposite happened, what with satellites getting smaller by the year), and as a result they must now develop another totally new launcher (Vega) to fill that niche again...

Crown · Post by **Crown** » 2005-04-17 01:30pm

Ma Deuce wrote:
Crown wrote:Winge. Bitch and moan, typical. And how quickly we forget Ariane's I through to IV mon capitain!
None of which exist anymore, as the ESA foolishy decided to retire the proven Ariane 4 believing the commercial launch market would boom with super-heavy payloads for Ariane 5 to carry (of course the precise opposite happened, what with satellites getting smaller by the year), and as a result they must now develop another totally new launcher (Vega) to fill that niche again...

Oh I know. On the one hand I'm sad because the Ariane IV was just a great workhorse, but on the other hand, new launcher's means opportunity for employment for me, being an Aerospace Engineer and all.