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RE: Why Most Rockets Are Launched From The Equator
Would this actually mean Nigeria would not have a chance to launch a rocket from her land since we are not located on the equator?
Would this actually mean Nigeria would not have a chance to launch a rocket from her land since we are not located on the equator?
I think it may have to do with logistics, money and human resources. Nigeria is less than 2000km to the equator when compared with the distance of more than 11,000km from the Equator to Florida, which is the location of the Kenedy Space Center.
There was once a rocket launch port at Kenya, the Broglio Space Centre(San Marco), Malindi. It was in Kenya but owned and operated by Italians. It stopped operations in 1988.
Space exploration is costly.
Nigeria First Satelite, NigeriaSat-1 (an environmental and disaster warning satellite) Costs $30 million to build.
This is a lot of money for a nation that sometimes needs aids from other countries; a sentiment which made a British politician ask why Nigeria is spending money on satelites and still request for charity.
Wow, interesting feedback. I had read a bit on the Kennedy space center a few years ago, and how the various rocket parts are ferried to the site and then coupled. Those things consume tons of liquified Nitrogen and Oxygen as fuels, and it would only be economical as well as wise to launch from a location where things are a bit more in-exorbitant.
$30M. That's a truckload of money, i do hope the Nigeriasat-1 still is in proper condition though.
A good read overall.
Run, Green
Thanks a lot. The satellite was launched in 13 May 2007, but it's last contact was in
11 November 2008. Just 16 months of active service before it failed. Remember the time they said it ran out of power due to some anomaly with the solar power? It failed, but they launched NigComSat-1R to replace it in 2011.