Attempting re-entry: Britain gets ready to rejoin the space race

[Neo]

Attempting re-entry: Britain gets ready to rejoin the space race
Half a century after the UK’s ambitions to put a satellite into orbit fizzled out, we could be entering a new era of space flight. So what’s changed to make us shoot for the stars again?

Fifty years ago, the British space programme had a problem.
Through the 1950s and ’60s, while the Soviets and United States traded places at the forefront of the space race, the UK was trying not to lag too far behind. We developed the Black Arrow, a rocket capable of carrying satellites into orbit.
In June 1969, the month before Saturn V blasted man to the moon, Black Arrow was launched for the first time from the Woomera Range Complex in South Australia. It failed and fell back to Earth within a minute. Launch two, a suborbital test in March 1970, was more successful. Launch three in September 1970, another failure.
On July 29 1971, the government announced the cancellation of the Black Arrow programme. However, because the next rocket had already reached the launch site it was given permission to launch. The following October, the Black Arrow carried a satellite into orbit, making us only the sixth nation to do so but also the only country to date that developed the technology and then dispensed with it.
The first stage of this last launch landed on a cattle station. The rusting remains of the rocket, below, weathered by decades of exposure in the outback, was the most symbolic relic of our disappointing record in the space race. But now, half a century later, we’re ready to re-enter

https://www.bigissue.com/latest/atte...he-space-race/

[Foghorn]

I'm surprised they chose Australia for their rocket launch 50 years ago.

It is good news though that you're back in the game.

[Authentic]

I'm surprised they chose Australia for their rocket launch 50 years ago.

It is good news though that you're back in the game.

See, choosing Australia is the problem. It is on the bottom of the earth, so the rockets went down instead of up.

[Authentic]

Also, Australia was populated with criminals, maybe even some saboteurs.

[Neo]

Also, Australia was populated with criminals, maybe even some saboteurs.

Australia was populated by convicts, doubtful many were saboteurs, our government and judicial governors sent the undesirables there, of course there were more undesirables than we could cope with, an unstoppable epidemic of criminality.

In 1870 40% of Australians were born there, the old criminals that landed at Van Diemans island that got a ticket of leave and went to New South Wales if they were lucky.

Yes Australia was the Brit choice of destination to launch Black Arrow space rockets.

[Daily Bread]

No wonder it went silent for so many years ! Those pics aren't really going to get me to invest .

[Common]

I wish them godspeed they are and have been our allies for a long long time

[Neo]

No wonder it went silent for so many years ! Those pics aren't really going to get me to invest .

I really think you’d miss an opportunity, we are masters of invention, also it says in that link the U.K. makes 44% of the market in satellites.

[East of the Beast]

I can see it now.....Her Majesty's Spaceship.....The Benny Hill.

[UKSmartypants]

I'm surprised they chose Australia for their rocket launch 50 years ago.

It is good news though that you're back in the game.

Why? You can hardly launch rockets on densely populated english soil, the likelihood of a large chunk falling into a town or village and causing damage and fatalities is quite high. Australia has thousands of square miles of Nowhere, so the bits can fall back to earth and only kill the odd wallaby or koala.

And anyway, Australia is part of the commonwealth, its our soil.