Botswana launches first satellite BOTSAT-1 aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 • Hacker News Board

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

#81

Post by fasbiner » Thu, Mar 27, 2025, 1:04 AM UTC

lolinder wrote: post #39

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…

> Edit (rather than reply and make the comment chain long): Sorry to go meta here, but this is just rude, both to OP and to other readers. For OP, you're effectively pre-empting what they say with your own counterargument, and even more so you're removing the ability for them to counter your counter. You're essentially using the edit feature to end the conversation and ensure you have the final word. For other reader…

Not to sound rude, but I don't know what your normative culture is or why any of us should care what you think is rude on the internet when you lack the self awareness to know that etiquette has no objective basis and is always contingent.

You could skip the disparaging characterizations and make your case for why you think it would be a good guideline. Ie, because it is confusing and non-linear, not because of a bunch of motivations you've inferred about a stranger.

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

#82

Post by me_me_me » Thu, Mar 27, 2025, 1:08 AM UTC

zvorygin wrote: post #43

blobbers wrote: post #38

… this does not seem like their best use of resources.

Botswana is actually reasonably well developed and stable. It seems fine, and I applaud them.

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

#83

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Mar 27, 2025, 1:09 AM UTC

fasbiner wrote: post #81

lolinder wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Edit (rather than reply and make the comment chain long): Sorry to go meta here, but this is just rude, both to OP and to other readers. For OP, you're effectively pre-empting what they say with your own counterargument, and even more so you're removing the ability for them to counter your counter. You're essentially using the edit feature to end the conversation and ensure you have the final word. For other reader…

Not to sound rude, but I don't know what your normative culture is or why any of us should care what you think is rude on the internet when you lack the self awareness to know that etiquette has no objective basis and is always contingent. You could skip the disparaging characterizations and make your case for why you think it would be a good guideline. Ie, because it is confusing and non-linear, not because of a bun…

[deleted]

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

#84

Post by me_me_me » Thu, Mar 27, 2025, 1:10 AM UTC

itake wrote: post #76

cooper_ganglia wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

24% of the country is malnourished and 4% of children die before their 5th birthday. This feels like misaligned priorities... https://www.globalhungerindex.org/botswana.html

How are satellite engineers supposed to address malnourished children?

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

#85

Post by Gormo » Thu, Mar 27, 2025, 1:14 AM UTC

fasbiner wrote: post #81

lolinder wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Edit (rather than reply and make the comment chain long): Sorry to go meta here, but this is just rude, both to OP and to other readers. For OP, you're effectively pre-empting what they say with your own counterargument, and even more so you're removing the ability for them to counter your counter. You're essentially using the edit feature to end the conversation and ensure you have the final word. For other reader…

Not to sound rude, but I don't know what your normative culture is or why any of us should care what you think is rude on the internet when you lack the self awareness to know that etiquette has no objective basis and is always contingent. You could skip the disparaging characterizations and make your case for why you think it would be a good guideline. Ie, because it is confusing and non-linear, not because of a bun…

> etiquette has no objective basis and is always contingent

But what it's contingent on is what's actually manifest rather than some speculative hypothetical that seems a contrivance to nullify the applicability of any etiquette anywhere.

FWIW, the previous commenter's points that adding edits to an existing post in order to reply to comments further downstream is confusing and impolite behavior. It's useful on Reddit in response to malicious use of the ill-advised 'block' feature, but doesn't fit on HN.

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

#86

Post by elevaet » Thu, Mar 27, 2025, 1:49 AM UTC

Aeolun wrote: post #59

pc86 wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Sorry to go meta here, but this is just rude, both to OP and to other readers. ... You're essentially using the edit feature to end the conversation and ensure you have the final word. I've noticed this more and more, especially on more controversial topics (which this is certainly not). Adam makes a statement, Betty responds. Adam responds, and Betty edits her initial response and conversation ends, likely because…

Isn’t that fine? Not all of those conversations have to be taken to the end.

I agree that it's poor form at least in the context of HN - we want to be able to trace the "commit history"

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

#87

Post by jakelazaroff » Thu, Mar 27, 2025, 1:51 AM UTC

Dylan16807 wrote: post #27

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…

> Very few organizations and even countries can develop both a launch vehicle and a satellite. I would remove the last three words from that. Launch vehicles are hard. Satellites are easy. This is a cubesat, even.

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.

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

#88

Post by teruakohatu » Thu, Mar 27, 2025, 2:14 AM UTC

KeplerBoy wrote: post #25

teruakohatu wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I agree with the sentiment, my tiny island nation with a population of 5m people was able to develop satellite launch capabilities. It’s more a case of does it make economic or strategic sense to do so. For most countries it wouldn’t.

How much of that US/NZ effort was NZ though?

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 make it a joint effort.

If it was not a joint effort they would have far fewer customers and a extremely limited supply chain.

Quite a while ago when I met an MP who seemed interested in space. I asked if anything could be done to keep/inceltivize future space ventures fully on-shore. They shrugged their shoulders and said no.

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

#89

Post by heavymetalpoizn » Thu, Mar 27, 2025, 2:34 AM UTC

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

#90

Post by gonzobonzo » Thu, Mar 27, 2025, 2:39 AM UTC

igravious wrote: post #60

heraldgeezer wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These types of countries can't even keep power, internet WAN, mobile RAN/Core, infra up on a consistent basis. I knew it had to be something like this. Yes, mask off. Yes, I am tired.

I'm curious, which "type" of country are you saying Botswana is? As far as I'm aware of Botswana does not have the power outages of its neighbour South Africa … Perhaps you're right, maybe it is a mask off moment for you … “Botswana, a landlocked country in Southern Africa, has recently made considerable strides in developing a reliable electricity supply network to support its growing economy and improve the quality…

Your quote actually proves the previous posters claims that Botswana can’t keep power up on a consistent basis. If you go to the Botswana Power Corporations Twitter page, you get the daily schedule for what areas are going to have their power shot off because they’re unable to meet demand.

It’s great that they’re making improvements in this are and that they’re not as bad as South Africa (assuming your claim is accurate, I haven’t compared the two). But the previous poster’s claim that power can’t be kept up on a consistent basis is accurate.