Russia's Darwin space base

Russia's Darwin space base

www.ntnews.com.au

RUSSIAN rocket scientists want to use Darwin as a launch pad to send spaceships into orbit.
The Air Launch Aerospace Corporation has written a proposal to use Darwin airport to launch satellites into space.
The plan would have a NK-43 rocket engine piggy-back a ride on an Antonov An-124-100 Ruslan serial heavy cargo aircraft. The rocket would be launched into the atmosphere while the aircraft returns safely to Darwin airport.

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This is all sounding familiar, piggy-back ride, launched into the atmosphere. All the Space Agencies around the world are doing it now
Like the X-37 program, US Air Force X-37B Space-Plane, X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle and DARPA's HTV-2 hypersonic test vehicle last seen heading UP April 22nd and the X-51 Waverider disappeared some where no idea etc......
This will be years away I guess.
The worlds Space Agency's are gearing up now and need new Launching, retrieving and Landing areas. Russia's Air Launch Aerospace Corporation is already looking at other locations Flight Routes to Launch Zone (examples) in Alcantara, Brazil and the Biak island of Indonesia.

Australia as a whole should be seriously looking at these Hypersonic Programs and Build a Launch and Retrieval Facility Russia, Japan, US and India will use(rent) it

Other Space Agency's like JAXA are looking for Australia's cooperation too. Next month (June), JAXA's HAYABUSA aboard the Asteroid Explorer, launched by the M-V-5 Rocket from Kagoshima Space Center, May 9, 2003, is scheduled to land at Woomera Test Range South Australia HAYABUSA's Sample Recovery Capsule to land on Earth on June 13.


Zelong.

www.ntnews.com.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 4/5/10 by Zelong]

A Launch facility in Australia is such an excellent idea,not to mention all the offshoot industries that would pop up around it,it would definately be a economically sound project for the Aust Govt to embark on and put Australia on the cutting edge of new technologies

This is the sort of thing our country needs. A shot in the arm for industry, science, education and imagination all in one hit. I hope it goes through.

Good post.

Maybe the Russians just want to get a good look at Pine Gap.

But yes, we have a lot of wide open spaces with no witnesses.