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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
#92Don’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.
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…
Yeah, and that's exactly what makes the title into clickbait.
Re: Botswana launches first satellite BOTSAT-1 aboard SpaceX Falcon 9
#93Earlier quoted context omitted.
> 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.
"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-...
Re: Botswana launches first satellite BOTSAT-1 aboard SpaceX Falcon 9
#94Earlier 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…
> 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…
It’s because hackernews rate limits users just because someone else downvoted you
So you actually can’t finish the conversation when it has the utility to finish it
Re: Botswana launches first satellite BOTSAT-1 aboard SpaceX Falcon 9
#95Re: Botswana launches first satellite BOTSAT-1 aboard SpaceX Falcon 9
#96Why so much negativity under this post? This is a positive in terms of global scientific and technological progress.
Re: Botswana launches first satellite BOTSAT-1 aboard SpaceX Falcon 9
#97I think it’s awesome that more People are bringing their talents to satellite engineering.
Re: Botswana launches first satellite BOTSAT-1 aboard SpaceX Falcon 9
#98Earlier quoted context omitted.
Of course, even Europe cannot launch cheaply anymore. Arianespace is crawling to space; they are left for dead. The only serious players are the US and China. It's reached a point where it has become like trying to manufacture a state-of-the-art 5nm chip in a developing nation: possible, but at an absurd cost. You might achieve an initial parametric yield of only 10%, meaning only a tiny fraction of the chips coming…
SpaceX didn't spend an absurd amount of money getting Falcon 9 to where it is. It was a lot, but pretty typical, even somewhat cheap, for developing a brand new rocket. Repeating their feat should be even cheaper, since you won't be taking detours trying out parachutes and such before settling on the final architecture. It's a relatively straightforward application of known technology, not bleeding edge stuff like 5n…
Building rockets as cheaply as they did is the impressive part.
The EU can certainly throw money at the problem but that doesn’t necessarily manifest cheap rockets. It’s a product of leadership and culture. My experience with the EU is one of a top heavy bureaucracy that’s not overly conducive to this type of cowboy rocketry. Consider the absence of an EU version of Silicon Valley, it’s just computers and with the internet people can program from anywhere…
Re: Botswana launches first satellite BOTSAT-1 aboard SpaceX Falcon 9
#99Surprisingly close to the plot of an episode of 90s cheesy British techno-thriller "Bugs":
Part 1: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0533567 Part 2: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0533529
Probably less sabotage and space laser weapons in the real thing.
Re: Botswana launches first satellite BOTSAT-1 aboard SpaceX Falcon 9
#100Earlier quoted context omitted.
Can you expand on this? I'm curious how you think these resources should be better allocated. Make sure the same argument doesn't apply to any of the other countries with space assets!
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
The USA has almost a million homeless people, no practical healthcare system for its population, yet spends humongous amounts on its military industrial complex every year.
You can do many things at a time. Technology can actually solve the hunger problem by making their agriculture more efficient. Also these local engineers who worked on this will go on and do great things for their country down the line.