Earlier quoted context omitted.
Article says Western Europe, but Norway is in Northern Europe. “First rocket to launch from Europe outside Russia” would have been perfectly correct.
In the political sense, «Western Europe» is typically taken to be «NATO Europe», and «Eastern Europe» is «Warsaw Pact Europe». Which is different from a strict geographic definition.
Private German rocket makes history, reaches orbit from European soil
151–160 of 480 posts
Re: Private German rocket makes history, reaches orbit from European soil
#152This is a huge success, but it I think also tells us that the EU is further decoupling itself from the US. Slowly but steadily. Which is obviously the right thing to do, but it's interesting that it's not just a hypothetical anymore.
Does it mean that? Europe has had a space agency for a while now. So this story isn't "Europeans finally started to launch for space" but a private European company chose to launch from a continental location. It's funny how we can't be celebrate a European achievement without trying to interpret it into relationship to the US.
This launch is a move towards lower cost and more frequent launches, that in the US are provided by SpaceX.
Re: Private German rocket makes history, reaches orbit from European soil
#153This is such a breath of fresh air
Re: Private German rocket makes history, reaches orbit from European soil
#154This is a huge success, but it I think also tells us that the EU is further decoupling itself from the US. Slowly but steadily. Which is obviously the right thing to do, but it's interesting that it's not just a hypothetical anymore.
Does it mean that? Europe has had a space agency for a while now. So this story isn't "Europeans finally started to launch for space" but a private European company chose to launch from a continental location. It's funny how we can't be celebrate a European achievement without trying to interpret it into relationship to the US.
Re: Private German rocket makes history, reaches orbit from European soil
#155How can it be the first European rocket? There’s the ESA! Are you telling me we have all these organisations and none of them have ever launched from their own continent?
Re: Private German rocket makes history, reaches orbit from European soil
#156This is a huge success, but it I think also tells us that the EU is further decoupling itself from the US. Slowly but steadily. Which is obviously the right thing to do, but it's interesting that it's not just a hypothetical anymore.
Does it mean that? Europe has had a space agency for a while now. So this story isn't "Europeans finally started to launch for space" but a private European company chose to launch from a continental location. It's funny how we can't be celebrate a European achievement without trying to interpret it into relationship to the US.
Re: Private German rocket makes history, reaches orbit from European soil
#157This is a huge success, but it I think also tells us that the EU is further decoupling itself from the US. Slowly but steadily. Which is obviously the right thing to do, but it's interesting that it's not just a hypothetical anymore.
Re: Private German rocket makes history, reaches orbit from European soil
#158How can it be the first European rocket? There’s the ESA! Are you telling me we have all these organisations and none of them have ever launched from their own continent?
The French used to launch their rockets from Algeria. Their first satellite was launched from there. Since then they moved to (French) Guiana. The UK launched from Australia.
Re: Private German rocket makes history, reaches orbit from European soil
#159Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think you meant non-US? Although Ariane's rockets are wildly expensive and uncompetitive compared to SpaceX.
No, counterintuitively Ariane is non-EU. It launches from South America
Re: Private German rocket makes history, reaches orbit from European soil
#160Earlier quoted context omitted.
Really comes in handy to still have a couple of colonies near the equator. It's also better to have the massive amounts of emissions far away from your own population.
French Guiana is not a colony, it is a region of France. People who live there have the same constitutional rights as anyone living in mainland France. It has the same status in France as Alaska does in the US.