Well, you can use my back garden if you want somewhere to launch. It's not that big but completely free of FAA and CAA regulations. However, once you're airborne, you are on your own re the authorities. And obviously I'll deny everything. :-)
LOHAN chews the fat with US TV station over Spaceport's FAA-ilure
The Low Orbit Helium Assisted Navigator (LOHAN) mission and its epic struggle to get clearance to launch at Spaceport America got a bit of airtime on Saturday night on Albuquerque TV station KRQE. As you can see, reporter Emily Younger miraculously managed to get a statement out of Spaceport America: Spaceport America …
COMMENTS
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Monday 12th October 2015 15:41 GMT JeffyPoooh
"...start work on the space elevator..."
Space Elevator fanboyz make me laugh.
They're okay with all the prerequisites...
Magic 40,000 km long cable made from carbon nanotubes something_or_other
Whirling counterweight securely tugging on said cable
Vague hopes about weather, induced currents, wayward aircraft
Some magic power-beaming laser beam or microwave thingy to power the climber
But when I suggest using a looped cable, a simple pulley at the top and a simple electric drive motor on the ground, suddenly they get all immediately-practical on me, and the pulley concept becomes a compete impossibility.
Idiots!
;-)
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Monday 12th October 2015 11:52 GMT Anonymous Coward
South Africa?
Didn't the Bloodhound crew put a lot of effort into finding a similar spec "big piece of empty ground somewhere with reasonable services and obstructive bureaucracy" and decide "South Africa is best"?
It'd probably be cheaper and quicker to just cut your losses and move now than go on pissing into the wind.
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Monday 12th October 2015 12:29 GMT Voland's right hand
Re: South Africa?
+1.
You would have had one of the small island governments in the middle of nowhere agree 100 times to your launch requirements by now. It would have been a more pleasant place to launch too.
In fact you do not even need _THAT_ as the island you need solely for a place to land. You can launch outside territorial waters and fire that "illegal" rocket engine also outside territorial waters leaving only the landing to be the subject of the local air traffic regs.
Actually, you could (and should) have done that off the Canary islands in the first place instead of wasting your time on dealing with American Bureaucracy. Rent a boat in Tazacorte or Valverde, sail outside territorial waters, hit the launch button and send pics to the Spanish government idiot who told you to get an explosive factory license combined with a picture of the street sign saying "I am missing a screw". Fishing, whale watching and sunlounging optional.
If everything goes according to plan the aircraft should have enough "gliding range" to glide to an island 100km + away from the top of the trajectory so this idea is not as daft as it may seem. All you need is to plug the coordinates of the nearest targets into the auto-pilot after launch.
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Monday 12th October 2015 12:42 GMT Dan 55
Re: South Africa?
Actually, you could (and should) have done that off the Canary islands in the first place instead of wasting your time on dealing with American Bureaucracy. Rent a boat in Tazacorte or Valverde, sail outside territorial waters, hit the launch button and send pics to the Spanish government idiot who told you to get an explosive factory license combined with a picture of the street sign saying "I am missing a screw". Fishing, whale watching and sunlounging optional.
Territorial waters are quite a nebulous concept from the point of view of Spanish bureaucracy. See Gibraltar and fishing quotas.
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Monday 12th October 2015 13:01 GMT Anonymous Coward
Isn't a return trajectory somewhat predictable due to trade winds/earth's rotation etc? So it's not beyond feasible that you could launch wet and recover dry if you planned things right. Also it's the propellant/explosive that seems to be the main sticking point and that wouldn't be a problem on the return journey.
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Friday 16th October 2015 10:12 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: Export License?
As I recall working for the renamed-IBM South Africa surrogate, ISM (Pty) Ltd. in the 70's, 80's and early 90's US Arms Export control to South Africa from the US of A was never a problem. Just tell them you are shipping to customers in Pretoria (now Tshwane) who operate under the names of Bureau Beta or Bureau Nucleus or that 'Bureau' sitting on the left of the old N1 entering the city from the South, the one with the flags flying and the parade ground out front. Their IT centre is a beauty.. 100ft under the building behind blast proof doors... always been a good IBM customer.
They also can give you plenty of open ground with controlled airspace over head....
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Monday 12th October 2015 20:55 GMT imanidiot
Re: Contact with the FAA
Then I'd think it would be better to find another way in (perhaps bug "Space"portAmerica again to help you out. Even if it's just to confirm the paperwork IS actually in processing. Seems that the bod in question has moved to another function/job. I'd assume you'd at the very least get a polite "Its still in the works" response at some point if he were still around.
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Monday 12th October 2015 13:07 GMT SW10
Your problem's right here:
before Spaceport America can move any further on a project like Lohan’s Vulture II.
Yep, Spaceport America actually think this is Lindsay Lohan's project; so obviously all the paperwork has been sent to her.
Easy mistake to make. Seems to me you just need to nip round hers and get it...
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Monday 12th October 2015 15:27 GMT Mage
Disused Spaceports
There is one in Kenya.
Woomera in Australia might re-open, (I don't know what for).
The French used to have one in Algeria but they decided current European Space port in 1960, and though in South America, it's now done over 50% of satellites still in orbit and the Russians are now even renting a pad, as the Russian Baikanour Cosmodrome is now inconveniently in a foreign country (Kazakhstan)
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Monday 12th October 2015 16:48 GMT Camilla Smythe
May One Assume
You have basically just given up and us Commentards are now allowed to flood various authorities inboxen with desultory messages about their inability to make proper bacon sandwiches or mugs of tea.
I don't know. You have spent all of your life becoming a fat lardy arse and then they reject you. Fucking Land of The Lardy Arse Bigots.
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Tuesday 13th October 2015 01:07 GMT Captain DaFt
The whole problem's in your PR
Seriously, you're a news site, use your contacts (Wut?) to get other news agencies on board. The right (wrong?) press could do wonders with the stages of this saga:
Bureaucracy Forces British Aerospace Venture Overseas
Foreign Government Holds British Aerospace Venture Hostage; Demands Munitions Capable Facility In Exchange
Hostile EU Business Climate Forces British Aerospace Venture To Relocate To US
British Aerospace Venture Being Stymied By US Paranoia?
US Government still Mum On Why It's Holding Back British Aerospace Venture; Is Google Involved?
US Agency Maintains Secrecy Over Fate of British Aerospace Venture
Oh, and the DM version (Just as legit as the rest):
US Government Agency Refuses To Comment On Alien Space Flight From England
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Thursday 28th July 2016 18:17 GMT mtp
50 foot rocket approved
If these people can launch a 50 foot rocket then what are they doing that Lohan cannot?
http://www.space.com/33552-record-breaking-student-built-rocket-launch.html
Muttering quiet blasphemies at the gods of red tape ( as opposed to blue tape which would be just fine ).