News Ugandan Vision for Space Exploration

[ryan]

When someone gets boarded from pirates just call the Ugandan Space Agency and they'll drop a something million fuel tank on you, but i wouldn't think that Kenya would allow them to luanch there, and the heat will play havoc on the luanch vehicles. Wouldn't they?

 

[tblaxland]

the heat will play havoc on the luanch vehicles. Wouldn't they?

Its not much of an issue in Kourou...

 

[RangerPL]

It's called a "Pyongyang Orbit".

They say that North Korea is the only country in the world that needs a submarine to review its space program.

 

[ryan]

Its not much of an issue in Kourou...

Isn't that becuase it's in French Guiana and France is a major member of the ESA and Russian uses Kazakhstan.
Note: please tell me if French Guiana is not French, i dont want to look more like an idiot.
Cya
Ryan.

 

[Ark]

Hahahaha, good luck with that.

They're never going to make it anywhere while they're still machine-gunning women and children in the streets.

 

[tblaxland]

Isn't that becuase it's in French Guiana and France is a major member of the ESA

What has being a member of ESA got to do with the effect of ambient air temperature on launch vehicles in Kourou? Perhaps you misunderstood - Kourou has a hot climate just like Kenya (or Uganda for that matter) and the climate does not seem to be an issue with regards to launch vehicle performance/processing. To make matters worse, Kourou gets exposed to Atlantic tropical storms, whereas Kenya falls nicely between the North Indian Ocean and South-West Indian Ocean storm zones.

 

[simonpro]

I can safely say that any attempt to launch a rocket from Kenya will result in the entire thing being stolen. Furthermore it will also result in a gang of up to 40 people who happened to be nearby all claiming they saw nothing, but chased the 'bad guys' anyway, and that they deserve to be paid.

Bloody mess of a country.

 

[ryan]

What has being a member of ESA got to do with the effect of ambient air temperature on launch vehicles in Kourou? Perhaps you misunderstood - Kourou has a hot climate just like Kenya (or Uganda for that matter) and the climate does not seem to be an issue with regards to launch vehicle performance/processing. To make matters worse, Kourou gets exposed to Atlantic tropical storms, whereas Kenya falls nicely between the North Indian Ocean and South-West Indian Ocean storm zones.

Sorry i did misunderstood, but what about the flies, the sun, the sand, or maybe i just think luanching rockets from Africa is a bad thing.

 

[simonpro]

Sorry i did misunderstood, but what about the flies, the sun, the sand, or maybe i just think luanching rockets from Africa is a bad thing.

There's more to Africa than the Sahara.:huh:

Also, sun+ flies are generally not major concerns for a well designed rocket, plus the Russians manage fine with sand.

 

[tblaxland]

There's more to Africa than the Sahara.:huh:

Indeed:

 

[Ghostrider]

I can safely say that any attempt to launch a rocket from Kenya will result in the entire thing being stolen.

Two words: "private contractors".

 

[Lunar_Lander]

You shouldn't forget that there had been space launches from Kenya, the Italian-US San Marco launches on Scout rockets.

But there I can imagine that they had troops to guard the launch site. I see no reason why they could protect a future African Spaceport by their own troops nowadays.

From the technical point of view, I would like to see some more detailed plans how they want to tackle the problem. Most probably, they would develop a rocket and a satellite first, than a one-man capsule (at least this is the historical and most logical path).

 

[Eagle]

But there I can imagine that they had troops to guard the launch site. I see no reason why they could protect a future African Spaceport by their own troops nowadays.

Oh come on. Cape Canaveral has guards too. Rockets are big and important (read expensive) enough to protect against as many threats as possible.

 

[simonpro]

Two words: "private contractors".

Yeah, that just results in stuff mysteriously becoming 'broken' and having to be taken away for a while.

 

[Lunar_Lander]

Oh, I just saw that I did not write: "...No reason, why they couldn't protect...". My fault, sorry
Of course should a spaceport be guarded as much as possible.

Maybe the old San Marco drilling can be used again (as in the mentioned San Marco project). But then the Pirates in the area could be a problem.

 

[KirkUnit]

I can safely say that any attempt to launch a rocket from Kenya will result in the entire thing being stolen. Furthermore it will also result in a gang of up to 40 people who happened to be nearby all claiming they saw nothing, but chased the 'bad guys' anyway, and that they deserve to be paid.

Bloody mess of a country.

Somali Space Pirates? :hmm:

-KU

 

[simonpro]

Nah, it's just the way they do things down there. Stuff gets stolen if you're not careful and even if you are careful you'll get ripped off.
It sounds racist - and probably is - but that's the way it is. A (bleep)ing mess.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

A (bleep)ing mess.

As they say down there:

TIA (This Is Africa)

 

[Urwumpe]

Nah, it's just the way they do things down there. Stuff gets stolen if you're not careful and even if you are careful you'll get ripped off.
It sounds racist - and probably is - but that's the way it is. A (bleep)ing mess.

The fish stinks from the head.

There will be never a successful African space program, as long as you have the biggest thieves of a country inside the government.

Honestly - even a homegrown satellite(not just bought from the shelf) is IMHO decades away for Africa as whole.

Even in Egypt, one of the better countries, the brain drain and the general lack of engineers makes it very hard to do any engineering work there. And if you are in South Africa, you rarely plan to found a spaceflight company there, you plan to go where the long-term conditions are better.

First of all, you need engineers and you need many of them. And also not just many of them, but also engineers of different skills and experience levels. Then you need economic stability - something which no African country has. Even the Arabian countries already fear economic instability when the age of the oil is over and start feverishly to prepare for a time without oil industry. The best way of getting stability will bet getting diversity. And which country in Africa has even a bit of diversity? Even South Africa is too much concentrated on the primary sector, and Egypt would be likely even deeper in the dirt without tourism.

There are many many assignments open for the African states, before they can dream of a spaceflight industry.

 

[Ark]

Yeah, that just results in stuff mysteriously becoming 'broken' and having to be taken away for a while.

"Uganda One, I repeat, abort abort! SRB one is on fire!"

"Roger Mission Control, I'll just reach over here and pull the abort lever.....what the %&#@ happened to the abort lever?"

*boom*

Elsewhere, in Somalia, someone is arguing with a street vendor over what he'll get for an abort lever that cost the Ugandan government $10,000,000 in private contracts.