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Botswana launches first satellite BOTSAT-1 aboard SpaceX Falcon 9

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Re: Botswana launches first satellite BOTSAT-1 aboard SpaceX Falcon 9

#111

Post by Swinx43 »

scrappyjoe wrote: post #104

So many strong opinions here from commenters who aren’t actually from Botswana. Let me tell you how we actually feel about it here. We think it’s awesome! The establishment of a university of science and technology in Botswana has been a long hard road, and many mistakes have been made along the way. But the fact that Botswana now has the local skill to deploy a satellite and make use of the data it provides to infor…

Absolutely fantastic!! I love Botswana. I spent quite a lot of time in Gaborone for work. Growing up my home town was 80 kilometres from the Botswana border and we regularly visited friends there. I am so happy to see this news. Botswana has a special place in my heart. Well done Botswana! I can’t wait to see what else comes next.

Re: Botswana launches first satellite BOTSAT-1 aboard SpaceX Falcon 9

#112

Post by vasco »

motorest wrote: post #106
echoangle wrote: post #2

Don’t want to belittle the achievement but they launched it as in „had it launched by the commercial launch provider SpaceX“, not on a self-developed rocket as it sounds like on the first read.

> Don’t want to belittle the achievement but (...) Yeah, but you kind of are. > (...) they launched it as in „had it launched by the commercial launch provider SpaceX“, not on a self-developed rocket as it sounds like on the first read. Yes, it's the kind of thing that even NASA does nowadays. Cool feat by Botswana. Outstanding.

From 1 highschool program in 2006 (TJ3SAT) there's now over 50 high scool programs launching cubesat style satellites. Some use base kits, making the launch even easier. Sure, it's amazing they have a bootstrapping engineering community in Botswana, but this isn't more sophisticated than a high school program with money to pay for the ride up.

To compare what NASA does to this seems like a soft discrimination of low expectations, which is so common when referring to developing countries.

Re: Botswana launches first satellite BOTSAT-1 aboard SpaceX Falcon 9

#113

Post by nathancahill »

Along similar lines, Guatemala launched it's first satellite QUETZAL-1. It was in space for 211 days. While the technology isn't groundbreaking compared to satellites built by developed countries, it's massive in terms of inspiring future STEM students. Brain drain is a real problem. Providing pathways to scientific careers in smaller countries is objectively a Good Thing.

https://www.uvg.edu.gt/cubesat-en/

Re: Botswana launches first satellite BOTSAT-1 aboard SpaceX Falcon 9

#114

Post by [deleted] »

Dylan16807 wrote: post #93
jakelazaroff wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where’d you read that this is a cubesat? The article implies it’s not: > These included BOTSAT-1, 26 satellites as part of the Transporter-13 rideshare mission, and a trio of CubeSats for NASA’s Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer (EZIE) mission; Arvaker 1, the first microsatellite for Kongsberg NanoAvionics’ N3X constellation.

"BOTSAT-1 is a 3U hyperspectral Earth Observation satellite" 3U is a cubesat size, the most common one. You can tell it's a cubesat from the picture in the article, and even better from the picture linked at "collaboration with EnduroSat". https://www.endurosat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/BotSat-...

[deleted]

Re: Botswana launches first satellite BOTSAT-1 aboard SpaceX Falcon 9

#115

Post by [deleted] »

aravindputrevu wrote: post #52
parsimo2010 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Very few organizations and even countries can develop both a launch vehicle and a satellite. Botswana has done fine to develop a satellite that integrates onto a rideshare launch. They aren't working with anything close to the headcount or budget of NASA or even the ESA. Edit (rather than reply and make the comment chain long): It's fine that you read it that way. I figure that if the article were about a launch vehi…

So true. I think most people don't realise how hard it is really to build a engine that works.

[deleted]

Re: Botswana launches first satellite BOTSAT-1 aboard SpaceX Falcon 9

#116

Post by motorest »

vasco wrote: post #112
motorest wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Don’t want to belittle the achievement but (...) Yeah, but you kind of are. > (...) they launched it as in „had it launched by the commercial launch provider SpaceX“, not on a self-developed rocket as it sounds like on the first read. Yes, it's the kind of thing that even NASA does nowadays. Cool feat by Botswana. Outstanding.

From 1 highschool program in 2006 (TJ3SAT) there's now over 50 high scool programs launching cubesat style satellites. Some use base kits, making the launch even easier. Sure, it's amazing they have a bootstrapping engineering community in Botswana, but this isn't more sophisticated than a high school program with money to pay for the ride up. To compare what NASA does to this seems like a soft discrimination of low…

> From 1 highschool program in 2006 (TJ3SAT) there's now over 50 high scool programs launching cubesat style satellites. Some use base kits, making the launch even easier. Sure, it's amazing they have a bootstrapping engineering community in Botswana, but this isn't more sophisticated than a high school program with money to pay for the ride up.

I think you're trying very hard to grasp at straws to belittle a whole country, while being completely oblivious to the domain.

For reference, Ireland launched its first satellite on 2023. Does this give you the right to shit on Ireland's achievement?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_first_satellites_by_co...

Re: Botswana launches first satellite BOTSAT-1 aboard SpaceX Falcon 9

#117

Post by NeutralForest »

scrappyjoe wrote: post #104

So many strong opinions here from commenters who aren’t actually from Botswana. Let me tell you how we actually feel about it here. We think it’s awesome! The establishment of a university of science and technology in Botswana has been a long hard road, and many mistakes have been made along the way. But the fact that Botswana now has the local skill to deploy a satellite and make use of the data it provides to infor…

I'm very glad to hear about your experience, it also touches on something deeply human when we can elevate ourselves and reach for the sky =)

Re: Botswana launches first satellite BOTSAT-1 aboard SpaceX Falcon 9

#118

Post by noduerme »

motorest wrote: post #107
noduerme wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Imagine you're having an in-person conversation with someone in a crowded restaurant. Rather than addressing their next response to you, they wait until you go to the bathroom. Then they turn to everyone at the next table and say, "that guy doesn't get it, but fine." I personally think that in a no-holds-barred debate, you don't bother trying to convince your interlocutor of anything. You focus on persuading everyone…

> Imagine you're having an in-person conversation with someone in a crowded restaurant. You're not in a crowded restaurant chatting with someone. You're in an online forum broadcasting messages to the vast nothingness.

This isn't twitter. You're in a highly moderated forum in which both moderator and participants are bound by rule and custom to maintain civil behavior, in the best interest of everyone involved.

Even if you weren't, you should still act as if you were in a crowded restaurant. Without agreeing to conventions for how a conversation should be conducted, you can't have any productive conversation at all. So what would be the point? If you ever sense that you're in an online forum broadcasting messages to the vast nothingness then you are truly only wasting your own time. (Which is why this is the only site I ever post on). At that point, just stop, put it down, walk outside and engage in any kind of real interaction you can find.

Re: Botswana launches first satellite BOTSAT-1 aboard SpaceX Falcon 9

#119

Post by KeplerBoy »

mmooss wrote: post #110
teruakohatu wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot, but I do take your point. It is not our only space venture. Our universities are churning out aerospace engineers. It annoys STEM academics that the space industries keeps "poaching" the best grad students. To the best of my knowledge, the company is not a strategic priority for New Zealand, we do not absolutely need to launch our own satellites. It is purely a commercial venture. They had no choice but to mak…

Is NZ possibly the worst country to launch from (due to geography and geometry)? Yes, I know you can launch from other locations, and my question is more of a curiosity.

It's certainly not the worst, since it has plenty of empty ocean to the east and west. A necessity for kind of safe launches. Of course a location closer to the equator would be nice, but it could be worse.

Just remember that the best place the EU came up with is in south America. Places like mainland Netherlands probably qualify for the worst places to launch orbital rockets from.

Re: Botswana launches first satellite BOTSAT-1 aboard SpaceX Falcon 9

#120

Post by vasco »

motorest wrote: post #116
vasco wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From 1 highschool program in 2006 (TJ3SAT) there's now over 50 high scool programs launching cubesat style satellites. Some use base kits, making the launch even easier. Sure, it's amazing they have a bootstrapping engineering community in Botswana, but this isn't more sophisticated than a high school program with money to pay for the ride up. To compare what NASA does to this seems like a soft discrimination of low…

> From 1 highschool program in 2006 (TJ3SAT) there's now over 50 high scool programs launching cubesat style satellites. Some use base kits, making the launch even easier. Sure, it's amazing they have a bootstrapping engineering community in Botswana, but this isn't more sophisticated than a high school program with money to pay for the ride up. I think you're trying very hard to grasp at straws to belittle a whole c…

That's funny. Go read up about cubesats friend.
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