The lure of commercial riches in space is spurring a variety of plans to help launch all the components necessary for a fully functioning orbital economy.
The latest to enter this private-sector race is the U.K., which announced Monday that it plans to construct the nation's first commercial vertical launch spaceport in northern Scotland. Lockheed Martin Corp. was awarded $31 million for two U.K. projects: Establishing vertical launch operations in Sutherland and a development program slated for Reading to deploy a new "delivery vehicle" to deploy as many as six small satellites.
Is it the second coming of the Space Race?
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The British Are Building a Spaceport
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(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday July 17 2018, @09:48PM (1 child)
A lot of companies are getting into small satellite launches [wikipedia.org] (Rocket Lab, Vector Space Systems, Orbex, Rocket Crafters Inc., PLD Space, SpinLaunch). But is it really worth it to pay orders of magnitude higher cost per kilogram just to have a vehicle (often non-reusable) dedicated to your small payload?
Big launch companies predict doom for upcoming smallsat launchers [spacenews.com]
Fast forward to operational BFR, and these companies have a real problem on their hands.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by driverless on Wednesday July 18 2018, @07:48AM
It's also pretty clever planning: If Scotland does decide to split from the UK over Brexit, it'll still be in the EU, so the port will be more attractive for the European launch business.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 17 2018, @09:53PM (8 children)
You know who would be perfect at patting down passengers, and protecting the space craft? The new US Space Force!
(Score: -1, Troll) by Sulla on Tuesday July 17 2018, @10:01PM (4 children)
Thats the "Space Force started by Donald J. Trump" to you. When it actually means something in 50 years I'm going to tell my grandkids it was started by Donald J. Trump. You can never take that away from him. Even if we get rid of it and bring it back, first started by DJT.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 17 2018, @11:08PM (1 child)
I saved this comment. When then next person who is not trumpf is president, I will repost it and time how long it takes you to label it as trolling.
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Wednesday July 18 2018, @02:25AM
I wouldn't bother. I don't downmod people. Plus if you put another person's name in there instead of Trump thats just saying things that are incorrect rather than lying. Obama has things he gets credit for too, like getting us involved in helping the Saudis bomb Yemen and funding terrorists in Syria. He gets to claim credit for the ACA for better or worse.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 18 2018, @01:06AM
"Space Force" is how he fits into his golf-cart.
(Score: 3, Funny) by driverless on Wednesday July 18 2018, @07:53AM
Or "Spaceballs" for short. "No sir I did not see you playing with your tiny hands again!".
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 17 2018, @10:03PM (2 children)
Don't mock space force 5
I'll bet you a signed dollar they are more effective than the english
also Scotland is almost as far away from equator as possible
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 17 2018, @10:10PM
So is Trump the one who makes corny jokes every episode?
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday July 17 2018, @10:14PM
Subtle reference to Musky Pedogate [theguardian.com]?
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 17 2018, @10:18PM (1 child)
Seems like it would be easier to get into orbit from there.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 18 2018, @01:11AM
But then they'd have to orbit retrograde ;-)
(Score: 2, Offtopic) by realDonaldTrump on Tuesday July 17 2018, @10:53PM (3 children)
Nigel worked very hard to make Brexit happen. Terrible Prime Minister Theresa May wrecked it. Boris Johnson, I think that guy would make a great Prime Minister. Theresa is MUCH TOO SOFT on the European Union -- big foe of ours. And that will definitely affect trade with the United States, unfortunately in a negative way. We have enough difficulty with the European Union. We are cracking down right now on the European Union because they have not treated the United States fairly on trading. I would have done it much differently. I actually told Theresa May how to do it but she didn’t agree, she didn’t listen to me. She wanted to go a different route. I would actually say that she probably went the opposite way. And that is fine. But if they do that I would say that that would probably end a major trade relationship with the United States. She should negotiate the best way she knows how. But it is too bad what is going on.
Look what happened with the Galileo. With the Europe GPS. Britain paid a TREMENDOUS amount for that. Paid our enemy, the EU. But they're not getting the use of it. They're not getting the contracts to build it. And they're not getting their money back. Terrible negotiating on that one. Very weak. Theresa needs GPS for her military. For her missiles, planes, ships, tanks, her great and very brave soldiers. Maybe she can use my GPS. But that one's not free. It wasn't free for our great American taxpayers. And it won't be free for Britain. You need to pay your share. And I'll think about, is this really smart? And when I see her getting VERY COZY with our foe the European Union, that makes me think it's not so smart. Theresa needs to decide which side she's on. And Russia has their own GPS. They were trying very hard to be friends with Britain. Until Theresa sent their diplomats back. Because "oh, Novichok!" So I think she burned her bridges there, folks.
And now, possibly she wants to build her own GPS. And we had a story about that a little while ago. She's building a launch pad. She's building rockets. Good for her. Lockheed Martin, great American company, tremendous choice for that. They'll make it PERFECTO. As they always do. But she could have done better. By doing TOUGH NEGOTIATION!!!
(Score: 4, Informative) by turgid on Wednesday July 18 2018, @06:58AM (2 children)
Another piece in the whole alt-wrong/far-wrong puzzle [theguardian.com] is revealed. Brexit must be cancelled now, surely?
I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent [wikipedia.org].
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 18 2018, @07:15PM (1 child)
I think Brexit is a huge mistake, too... but let's be fair here. It appears they are saying that two groups which were openly campaigning to leave the EU were working together, and that one of the campaign exceeded spending limits by about 7% (spending about £7,500,000, rather than the £7,000,000 limit).
Both of these are bad, and should be punished, but I personally think they are relatively modest infractions. Admittedly that is a personal judgement call, but I view this as being substantially less worrisome than a foreign government or criminal organization laundering money or hacking infrastructure to affect the vote.
Irrespective of everything else, though... (I am not a lawyer, but my interpretation is that) technically the vote was non-binding and thus not directly related to act of the UK invoking Article 50. Therefore, the invocation was constitutional, even if it had been done under misinformation and even if the referendum had been unconstitutional. Therefore, this is not a loophole to un-invoke Brexit through legalistic machinations.
(Score: 2) by turgid on Wednesday July 18 2018, @09:08PM
Correct. But you must surely appreciate that it is running out of legs upon which to stand.
I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent [wikipedia.org].
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 17 2018, @11:04PM
Just saying... In case they need a name.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 17 2018, @11:31PM
Oi,you got a license for that there spaceport?
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Snotnose on Tuesday July 17 2018, @11:35PM (8 children)
A) Nowhere near the equator
B) There is no british space enterprise to support
Trump's Grave will be the world's most popular open air toilet.
(Score: 4, Informative) by takyon on Tuesday July 17 2018, @11:42PM (2 children)
https://www.ukspace.org [ukspace.org]
https://www.economist.com/britain/2018/05/03/britains-space-industry-brexits-final-frontier [economist.com]
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(Score: 2) by legont on Wednesday July 18 2018, @01:08AM (1 child)
And let's not forget - Raspberry Pi's. I want one in space for $30.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 2) by Snow on Wednesday July 18 2018, @01:56AM
That would be pretty amazing since a baked raspberry pie costs almost as much to get on my table.
(Score: 3, Funny) by c0lo on Wednesday July 18 2018, @12:12AM
Scotland?
I think they can even improve on the placement and find some island closer to the North Pole.
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Wednesday July 18 2018, @12:54AM (3 children)
People don't know this, Russia is far from our Equator. But they have a spaceport. And they rent one in Borat's country -- also pretty far from Equator -- and they've done tremendously well with those. They've always been the best in space. Not just for Russia business. For their military. For our space station. And for other folks' business.
(Score: 3, Informative) by legont on Wednesday July 18 2018, @01:18AM (2 children)
Actually, Russians have two spaceports. That's in addition to the former Russian Baiconur where it all began. Also, Kazakhstan where Baiconur is, is a member of Eurasian Union which is basically EU of the former Soviet Republics - no borders no taxes..
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 18 2018, @10:56AM (1 child)
... and, looking at the list of member states, no democracy either.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 18 2018, @06:02PM
Democracy with uninformed voters is just as bad as kleptocracy.