Chinese company based in Hong Kong signs deal to build spaceport in Djibouti, Africa
Djibouti’s location is indicated in black.
The government of Djibouti, one of the smallest nations in Africa and located at the southern end of the Red Sea, has signed an agreement with a pseudo Chinese company, the Hong Kong Aerospace Technology Group, to build a major spaceport there.
According to the translated press release, the five year project will cost one billion dollars, include a lease for 30 years, and involve the construction of a port, highway, and electrical power distribution system.
As much as Hong Kong for more than two centuries has been a haven for private enterprise, it is now under the control of the communist Chinese, and they would not allow anyone from Hong Kong to make such a deal unless they were in full control.
Based on the map, there is almost no launch path out of Djibouti that will not cross another nation’s territory. Unless the Chinese plan to make all the first stages launched from this site reusable, they are going to dropping stages on a lot of people’s heads, without their permission. And they will be doing it to some places where war is often and continues to be the most frequently used negotiating tactic.
Hat tip to stringer Jay.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Djibouti’s location is indicated in black.
The government of Djibouti, one of the smallest nations in Africa and located at the southern end of the Red Sea, has signed an agreement with a pseudo Chinese company, the Hong Kong Aerospace Technology Group, to build a major spaceport there.
According to the translated press release, the five year project will cost one billion dollars, include a lease for 30 years, and involve the construction of a port, highway, and electrical power distribution system.
As much as Hong Kong for more than two centuries has been a haven for private enterprise, it is now under the control of the communist Chinese, and they would not allow anyone from Hong Kong to make such a deal unless they were in full control.
Based on the map, there is almost no launch path out of Djibouti that will not cross another nation’s territory. Unless the Chinese plan to make all the first stages launched from this site reusable, they are going to dropping stages on a lot of people’s heads, without their permission. And they will be doing it to some places where war is often and continues to be the most frequently used negotiating tactic.
Hat tip to stringer Jay.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Checking further, in Djibouti, the first overseas military base operated by China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy was built at a cost of US$590 million. I am willing to bet that the launch port will be right next to the naval base.
There is also the Maritime Silk Road, where China has a ten year lease of a port, it is a subset of the Belt and Road Initiative . The Chinese are investing heavily into that area.
I first heard the word Djibouti on John Batchelor while looking for a new radio station long ago, I had no idea what a Djibouti was, or that it was a place – and after listening to Mr Batchelor, what an important place it was. I was hooked.
At that time I believe that our Foreign Affairs failures in Djibouti were in the early Obama years (with Antony Blinken at the deputy National Security post). I agree with Jay that the PRC PLA built a base in Djibouti. A vet I met at one time told me the walls around the base are easily 10 feet.
Djibouti is one of the key nations the US has ignored through the years. It is located nicely at a closing point of the Red Sea and sees all of the shipping the Suez Canal sees, as seen on the map above. Now with a space port, it also has an over water ~2000mile flight to the Indian shore (Mumbai).
DOD has had a staging and supply facility there for years. During my time in Iraq, KBR operated the facility. Im not sure who operates it now.
But why? Why build a space port a quarter of the world away in the third world?
This is the way the godless Chicom commies enslave people. They loan at ridiculous rates 3rd world countries billions for “infrastructure” projects with the 3rd world country’s natural resources as collateral. When the 3rd world country can’t pay (usually when the thug dictator’s flee to Monaco with all the loot) China seizes their natural resources.
The godless Chicom commies use substandard materials that start falling apart after a couple years.
Also I’ve noticed the successful companies:
1. Build a rocket
2. Build a spaceport for their rocket
The unsuccessful companies
1. Build a spaceport
2. Have great ideas for building rockets
3. The spaceport sits vacant and weeds grow in cracks in the concrete
It looks like a great place to defend access to the whole of the gulf sea.
With their ally Iran directly across from them they would control everything going in and out and have a willing ally that would do the dirty work of armed enforcement.
China does not plan on launching anything more than an old solid fuel military rocket with a small “experimental” orbital payload.
This all about expanding a military base and they will use any excuse to ad more military defenses to the new base.
Sorry I was all wrong on location.
But the defensive points still stand.
Oongawa Astra
Red China has now moved into first place in the race to place the World’s non Developed 170+ countries (top 23 OECD Nations) into heavy debt….beyond The World Bank and IMF,