Look! Up in the sky! Five Brit satellites on one Indian rocket! The UK is entrusting a bunch of earth observation satellites to India's burgeoning space program. Three DMC3 optical observation satellites, along with a couple of other payloads, will be hoisted on July 10 by India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). It's the thirtieth mission for the PSLV, and also the heaviest. The …
The natural result of abandoning a space program is that you get a country which you supply with humanitarian aid to sort out things like basic sanitation to launch stuff for you.
If shame could be mentioned somewhere within the same sentence with the words "Westminster" and "politician" this would have made for a nice "commemoration plaque" of national shame. Unfortunately, those 3 words do not quite go together. There is an odd one out. Usually the "shame" one.
Alternatively, you could argue that building launch vehicles isn't (either now or historically) profitable for anyone, while building satellites is a a viable business. And we have two of the world's leading constructors based in the UK (admittedly, one is now owned by Airbus).
So the Indians are making the rockets as a loss leader?
And France still makes some for fun... and the Americans, Russians...... et al.
Of course rockets are profitable, if they weren't these other countries wouldn't do it.
Uhhhmmmm, no, the space programs for most countries are not all that profitable. Especially the US space program as a whole is a massive money sink. Sure money is earned on commercial launches but any launch that is not commercial (research, ISS supply, spysats, etc) is creating a loss. And not a small one either.
I suspect right now the Indian space program is pretty much running even or making a small profit on it's commercial launches. Before full investments have been recouped is going to take a while.
"...you get a country which you supply with humanitarian aid to sort out things like basic sanitation..."
A quick google search on "why do some pricks in UK think they are proving AID to India" revealed this: http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2014/04/03/indian-businesses-driving-uk-employment/
"some 700 India-based companies operating in the UK are driving job creation – with many of the Indian-parented UK companies growing at more than 10 per cent annually"
Using our aid to make space rockets, nuclear missiles and buy British companies...
I guess though we also give billions to the EU so they can write rules the UK paper shufflers can use to ensure we buy foreign while they don't...
Frankly the worrying things are:
a) We seem to think we can afford to give money away when we have a massive deficit and a colossal debt.
b) We have so little self respect
c) The Indian run companies appear to have a better grasp of basic management than the over paid fruitcakes that run the few remaining UK companies
d) The people of the UK have so little in the way of balls that the situation continues government after government with not one of the governments being held to account for it
"Using our aid to make space rockets"- I will drink whatever you are drinking!.
Last time it was sour grapes of UKstan not winning fighter contract.
Sun has set, get used to this happening often.
I hope you do realise that >80% aid money is "benefits" for some lord or a toff who will be usually running an aid programme or an obscure company selling stuff. Most of the money goes with strings attached for it to be spent back in UK. Why do you think politicians never wants to stop giving aid?
If your country has a space program, but can't ensure everyone has access to a toilet (really, how hard is it to dig a hole and stick a few planks over it!!) Then you really need to re-think your priorities as a nation..
I think we should cut off aid to India, they clearly don't want it or need it, then we might be able to spend that same money on free school meals for all school children!
India has refused the aid repeatedly, but it is uk politicians who keep insisting. Probably makes them look good amongst their electorate. India does not need any aid. It is already giving aid to countries across the world. India already provides free meals to school children. India's GDP is 1.877 trillion USD and growing rapidly. If you need aid, please let folks in India know and someone may oblige.
If your country has a space program, but can't ensure everyone has access to a toilet (really, how hard is it to dig a hole and stick a few planks over it!!) Then you really need to re-think your priorities as a nation..
You are entirely missing the point!
Yes, India has a huge poverty problem. It's spending billions each year in providing aid to these people. (A permanent solution to human waste disposal is a LOT more complicated than a hole with a few planks over it. That'll work for a week for a family of 4. Not for a year for a slum of millions)
India spends a few million (maybe a billion) a year on its space program. They used their Mars mission as a technology demonstrator. "Look at us, we can do this. Maybe send some of those launch contracts our way?". Now it's getting commercial launch contracts that are pretty much cost covering. The advantage? More high paying technology jobs that trickle down the economy. More money flowing into the country that can then be taxed so that they CAN fight poverty without massivly increasing the countrys debt. The biggest problem with poor people is that they pay no taxes. So creating more paying jobs creates more income for the government to fight the poverty.
Just the fact that they HAVE a space program doesn't mean that they DON'T spend money on poverty.
I would also point out that at the height of the US space program a large portion of the US population was also still living in poverty.
All those reasons are just as valid for the UK.
As would recreating our motor industry, ship building, mining, aircraft and promoting without shame our military production.
Instead our governments (Labour, Conservative, hybrid) all seem to actively embrace getting rid of as much British know how as possible
Ha I did not have to wade through lot of comments to find the obligatory " look at the third worlders how dare they develop rockets". " they should be grateful for our generous aid money and do as we tell". And the other comment " building rockets is meh! blue collar job! its inferior , our superiority lies in design like in dyson!.
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The Brits are building a constellation. The Indians are launching it. The Chinese are leasing it.. all of it.
It's a business deal although I'm not sure why the Chinese aren't launching it. And why are the Chinese leasing 100% the time on it? With 1 meter resolution and, as the article put it, complete coverage of the world, this could be used as a spy satellite constellation. It's not like the Chinese are known for their humanitarian efforts for natural disasters except in China.
Ignoring all the racist comments made here by people who have little or no understanding or education in international political and financial affairs, one thing that amused me about this article is this:
The Brits made the satellites, the Indians are launching it and the Chinese will be using it; this is analogous to the situation where an ammunition( e.g. bullets) manufacturer(UK) hires a gun manufacturer(India) to load the bullets in to their gun and then leases that gun to a third party(China) that might one day use that gun against the gun manufacturer :)
Cunning Brits, wealthy Chinese and hosed Indians :)
Who says India takes aid from England ?
Last time I checked , Indian companies owned the largest British Industries.
And FYI India does not receive foreign aid. It is amongst the largest givers of foreign aid to many African countries.
When third world countries like England need help in launching web cams to space , Indian space agency gives them discounted rate out of humanitarian concerns.
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