Ethiopia Has Launched its First Satellite Into Space (qz.com) 46
Ethiopia launched its first observatory satellite into space on Friday (Dec. 20), according to local reports. From a report: The 70 kilogram remote sensing satellite is to be used for agricultural, climate, mining and environmental observations, allowing the Horn of Africa to collect data and improve its ability to plan for changing weather patterns for example. The satellite will operate from space around 700 kilometers above the surface of earth. The launch, which was originally scheduled for September, took place at 03.21hours GMT from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Xinzhou, Shanxi Province, China. The satellite was carried on board a Long March 4B rocket.
The rocket launched was aired live on Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation. The Chinese satellite was designed and built at a cost of $8 million, with China paying around $6 million of the capsule's price, according to the head of the Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute (ESSTI) at Addis Ababa University. Though it was launched from China its command and control center is based at the Entoto Observatory and Space Science Research Center (EORC) in Ethiopia, which is part of the Ethiopian Space, Science and Technology Institute (ESSTI).
The rocket launched was aired live on Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation. The Chinese satellite was designed and built at a cost of $8 million, with China paying around $6 million of the capsule's price, according to the head of the Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute (ESSTI) at Addis Ababa University. Though it was launched from China its command and control center is based at the Entoto Observatory and Space Science Research Center (EORC) in Ethiopia, which is part of the Ethiopian Space, Science and Technology Institute (ESSTI).
Starvin' Marvin In Space (Score:1)
actually two (Score:1)
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Were they space battleships or only destroyers?
https://science.slashdot.org/s... [slashdot.org]
China launched a satellite for Eithiopia (Score:2)
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US falling behind (Score:4, Insightful)
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We gave countries a bunch of stuff in the past what did we get back? Oh they did remember us alright.
Re:US falling behind (Score:4, Informative)
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Foreign aid has never been about charity, at least in the 20th and 21st Centuries. It's been about controlling the economies of other countries, and frequently about destroying their subsistence farmers and replacing them with corporate-owned farms exporting cash crops in order to finance debt repayment. Your "shithole countries" are poor because we made them that way.
Policy and Soft Diplomacy (Score:5, Insightful)
Frankly, this is the sort of thing that the U.S. and E.U. ought to be doing more of. The U.S and E.U. are not angels, certainly, and have their own selfish motivations. The history of colonialism and exploitation weighs heavily over everything in this regard. But even so, one should be asking: who would you rather be doing this kind of work, and who would you rather be reaping the benefits? Were the West to do this kind of work, the data would probably end up available to everyone (maybe free, maybe not, maybe eventually free. See LANDSAT.)
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+1
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Because it is better to create an environment that allows competition and innovation than subsist on a government specific solution that may or may not change enough to get an optimal outcome.
Government is good at somethings and not so good at other things. Innovation is hard for the government, generally speaking. Competing with itself is also not a strong characteristic of government.
The thing about cutting corners is that sometimes it is a more effective and efficient path with acceptable risks. Other ti
Re: 'merka, 3rd world space country (Score:2)
Thatâ(TM)s lovely. Meanwhile China is increasing its monopoly stranglehold on essential resources around the world like precious metals & minerals, cheap labor, strategic military locations and global political influence.
Thatâ(TM)s fine, though, as long as misinformed US taxpayers think theyâ(TM)re getting a savings on their tax bill every year...
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Okay? Not sure what kind of response you were looking for with that comment.
Re: 'merka, 3rd world space country (Score:1)
Re:'merka, 3rd world space country (Score:4, Insightful)
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>this is the sort of thing that the U.S. and E.U. ought to be doing more of.
They have done it and still do it though not to the same extent. It's just colonialism with a bank check. Is colonialism acceptable now? I was under the impression that it is not as you are stealing local resources for profit that leave those countries without the ability to develop themselves.
It's easy to accept money for a future promise. What will matter is when China wants to cash in the favors it's buying. One of the reasons
Re: Policy and Soft Diplomacy (Score:2)
its about monopoly control of resources. The target is the US, not Africa.
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China has monopoly supply of Rare Earth Elements, not because of its resource richness but because it accepts the environmental damage to refine and process those minerals. Most countries are happy to export that pollution but as China grows and its interests come at odds with its neighbors, we start to see those monopolies challenged.
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Helping another country develop is not colonialism. Telling them how to develop (and then taking the profits) is. I don't think the GP was proposing that the US and EU do the latter, but that they do the former to prevent China from doing the latter.
That is not necessarily what China is planning though. China needs to guarantee themselves sea access to the rest of the world. The easiest way to do that is to have a bunch of friends spread along those sea routes. It's generally been beneficial if those friend
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> Helping another country develop is not colonialism.
When you frame it that way, colonialism doesn't sound so bad. Railroads, infrastructure, institutions, capital, etc.
> Telling them how to develop (and then taking the profits) is
That doesn't make sense. What is the difference between launching a satellite "for agricultural, climate, mining and environmental observations" that the Chinese will profit on and creating a railroad to transport workers and resources that a European will profit on? If the
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Colonialism involves acquiring political power over another country and exploiting it, usually for resources. I'm quite aware that the people who yell loudest about colonialism today seem to have only a vague idea about what exactly it is.
I assume the OP believes China is pursuing a colonial agenda and that helping Ethiopia build a satellite is part of it. His suggestion is that the US and EU counter that strategy by assisting other countries *without* the colonialism part. Helping Ethiopia build a satellit
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>acquiring political power over another country and exploiting it, usually for resources
> China pays , builds, and launches a satellite "for agricultural, climate, mining and environmental observations
>China needs to guarantee themselves sea access to the rest of the world.
>The problem is, that infrastructure was built at the behest of the colonizer, for the benefit of the colonizer, and the colonized generally only really began to benefit from it after the colonizer left.
We are in the step of s
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"We are in the step of seeing China acquire political power over another country."
Are we? Any evidence of that?
Anyway, I have no desire to argue with you what China's hypothetical motives are. The OP stated that the EU and US should counter China's moves by partnering with Ethiopia themselves. You seemed confused about what colonization actually is. Hopefully that's cleared up for you.
Re:Policy and Soft Diplomacy (Score:4, Interesting)
The US and EU, are currently in its stupid phases right now. Focusing on the short term win.
While China and Russia are playing the long game.
Currently the citizens of the US and EU, just see the aid to these countries as handouts to people who are too lazy to "pull up their boot straps", and let China and Russia waste their money on these countries...
However this brings soft power towards these countries. To a point where many countries will ignore the bad stuff that China and Russia is doing, allowing them to get away with more, while at the same time, being more critical of the US and EU who had done little lately to help them.
Which is a shame, because US and EU actually socially have far more in common with African Nations then they do with Asian Nations, and if both US and EU were playing the same game that Russia and China have been playing, we would had have a real advantage.
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>in its stupid phases right now
There is always a lull whenever the board shifts. Continuing on as if the Soviet Union still existed in the 90, 00's, and 10's doesn't make sense. Sometimes it's good to reevaluate your position and assumptions to assess new challenges that the future bring.
Russia wants the USSR back. China wants to take it's rightful place as a world super power and reclaim past imperial glory before European colonialism. What does the US want? No ww3 and trade. How that is achieved today
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Currently the citizens of the US and EU, just see the aid to these countries as handouts to people who are too lazy to "pull up their boot straps"
That's because the citizens of the US and EU have never recognized that the "aid" given to the Third World was never meant to actually help them, but to manipulate their economies and gain control of their resources. Much of the "aid" is in the form of arranging loans at exorbitant interest rates for projects that will enrich and corrupt the recipient country's leadership and mostly benefit western corporations. If you don't know how it actually works I'd encourage reading 'Confessions of an Economic Hit
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"China paid for most of this satellite, built it, and launched from China. "
That's because they already own huge ....parts of lands in Africa.
Fake news (Score:1)
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A better headline would be Chinese Developmental Aid enables Ethipia to "Operate" its first satellite
Bragging rights? (Score:1)
there's still a lot of unknowns (Score:1)
That's amazing! (Score:2)
Yes yes, I know Ethiopans are starving. I know of the warmongering.
And I know this only happens, because China needs its minerals and job-creation schemes.
But still! Whole Africa gets all kinds of infrastructure through it. (Remember Top Gear being surprised at the brand-new roads?)
And now even a bit of space tech?
Come on! It will change how Ethiopians look at themselves! And with a mindset that says "We won't be the 3rd world anymore!", maybe, just maybe, there will be something good coming out of it.
And I
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According to the IEEE the countries of Africa have the opportunity to "leapfrog" a generation of technology. With the installed infrastructure of the US and EU, which slows deployment of new replacement technology, there are areas of Africa that are going to go directly to the newer generation of tech. Cellphone deployment in Africa outstripped that of North America, smartphone banking has been the norm there for a generation, many areas are getting their first electrical systems in the form of renewables
not really (Score:2)
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Thanksgiving (Score:2)
If you are feeding American vegetables to the Native Americans who taught you to grow them on native American land you cant really claim tobe giving thanks can you?
We all gotto start somewhere.
Re: Thanksgiving (Score:1)