BRICS states agreed to create a joint satellite constellation for Earth remote sensing.

ZHUHAI (China) (Sputnik) – BRICS states agreed to create a joint satellite constellation for Earth remote sensing, Director General of the Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos Igor Komarov said on Tuesday.

“Yesterday we held the first meeting between space agencies of BRICS countries. The meeting was very productive. We agreed to create a perspective joint satellite Earth remote sensing system,” Komarov told journalists at the Airshow China 2016. On Monday, Roscosmos said that representatives of the space agencies of BRICS member states discussed elaborating a document on sharing data obtained by the orbital groups of Earth remote sensing satellites and signed a memorandum on cooperation in space exploration for peaceful purposes at the meeting in the Chinese city of Zhuhai.

sputniknews.com...

Much as I like to see international cooperation in space, this looks like a publicity stunt. Komarov's statement has been mistranslated: he said "prospective," not "perspective." Russia has always been loathe to share Earth imagery taken by its satellites... they do not really want potentially hostile nations to know what their sensor capacities are.

Nevertheless, this poses a challenge to American foreign policy. The United States will not allow NASA or the growing private space sector to cooperate with China, fearing that China will appropriate the technology. This provides an opportunity for Russia to bond with China. If Russia can provide China with their tech early on, China will continue to buy from them and the United States might lose that potential market permanently.

The next meeting of the working group will be in the Spring of 2017.

a reply to: DJW001

Would it not be grand if the people of the nations involved with space exploration, ALL the people of those nations all over the planet, were able to FORCE their leaders to co-operate with one another on the matter?

I think it would be rather a grand thing, all those dignitaries forced into rooms with people they have personally insulted and besmirched the honour of on many occasions, intelligence goons forced to politely interact or face a kicking from their own when they get home.

There are many meetings of the minds that need to occur, upon threat of boot to groin if necessary.

a reply to: TrueBrit

Would it not be grand if the people of the nations involved with space exploration, ALL the people of those nations all over the planet, were able to FORCE their leaders to co-operate with one another on the matter?

The people actually involved in space exploration have always been cooperative, even during the Cold War. The threat of an asteroid collision might wake the politicians up.

There are all sorts of remote sensing satellites “up there”, including some really impressive commercial operations. It would be interesting to know the detail of what this proposition would seek to do over and above the current offerings already planned or in orbit.

There is an additional problem in that the Russian and Chinese space programmes are far larger than, for example Brazil’s. Is this proposition more of a way to form closer ties between the Russian and Chinese space programmes, while throwing some tokens to the others to keep them interested?

a reply to: paraphi

There is an additional problem in that the Russian and Chinese space programmes are far larger than, for example Brazil’s. Is this proposition more of a way to form closer ties between the Russian and Chinese space programmes, while throwing some tokens to the others to keep them interested?

Exactly. BRICs has not really done very much. All of the economies are in trouble. Scientific cooperation is a way for Russia and China to project soft power.

Yah can't have any competition in space. Independent satellites lose revenue.

One of the reasons they killed Qaddafi.

originally posted by: intrptr

Yah can't have any competition in space. Independent satellites lose revenue.

One of the reasons they killed Qaddafi.

Please explain both statements.

originally posted by: intrptr
Yah can't have any competition in space. Independent satellites lose revenue.
One of the reasons they killed Qaddafi.

Actually, if you did the research you would find a flourishing commercial space industry. Many of the existing remote sensing satellites are owned and run by commercial operators.

There's some really good competition in space, both commercially and scientifically.

On Gaddaffi. What are you on about? Libya under Gaddaffi did not have a space programme. Do you make everything up?

a reply to: DJW001It makes me wonder about the US not allowing NASA to cooperate with other nations.
So then Neil Armstrongs statement "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" Should really read "one small step for the US, one giant leap for the US".?

a reply to: crayzeed

It's self preservation. No one wants a potential enemy to use their own tech against themselves.

Russia and China would too. As would we.

a reply to: paraphi

Libya under Gaddaffi did not have a space programme.

Derp. The satellite was to be for all of Africa independent from Europe. It was due to be put up that year. But they killed him prior...

a reply to: intrptr

Derp. The satellite was to be for all of Africa independent from Europe. It was due to be put up that year. But they killed him prior...

All Gaddafi did was loan RASCOM 300 million USD. They are still in business and planning to launch RASCOMStar on a French rocket. They are now funded by private investors from Dubai, and make a point of not mentioning Gaddafi's loan in their corporate history:

rascomstar.com...

a reply to: crayzeed

It makes me wonder about the US not allowing NASA to cooperate with other nations.

China is the only country NASA is prohibited from cooperating with. It has flown missions with every other spacefaring nation and delivered payloads for many of the non-spacefaring ones. The State Department would probably not condone working with Iran, but NASA could probably host a Cuban on the ISS now.

So then Neil Armstrongs statement "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" Should really read "one small step for the US, one giant leap for the US".?

All of the data collected on the Apollo missions is in the public domain, so it was indeed a "giant step for all mankind."

a reply to: DJW001

All Gaddafi did was loan RASCOM 300 million USD.

All he did? That would have cost the then suppliers of telephone and TV transmission 500 million per year, thats all.

Not only All he was going to start an African National Monetary Fund and African National Bank. IMF and World Bank would be screwed. Then theres the gold dinar, would have displaced the Petro Dollar, we're talking billions of lost revenue for western banks exploiting African resources while leaving the people divided and detitute.

Thats all they killed him for. To keep hegemony of African resources and debt firmly in western hands.

originally posted by: crayzeed
a reply to: DJW001It makes me wonder about the US not allowing NASA to cooperate with other nations.
So then Neil Armstrongs statement "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" Should really read "one small step for the US, one giant leap for the US".?

NASA has provided instruments for Indian, Japanese, ans European spacecraft. India, Japan, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, and other countries have provided instruments that have been part of NASA space probes. For example, the Huygens probe that landed on Titan came from the Europeans, but was piggybacked on NASA's Cassini probe to Saturn. Another example is the instrument on India's Chandrayaan-1 that detected water on the Moon was manufactured by NASA.

The Curiosity Rover that is currently exploring Mars has instruments provided by (among others) Russia, Spain, and France.

When the Space Shuttle was operational, Russian cosmonauts were launched to the space station on board NASA's shuttle, and NASA astronauts are now launched to the space station on board a Russian Soyuz rocket.

That's a lot of different examples of NASA working directly with other nations. I'm not sure what you mean about not being allowed to cooperate.

a reply to: intrptr

All he did? That would have cost the then suppliers of telephone and TV transmission 500 million per year, thats all.

As I said, RASCOM is still in business and planning to launch.

Not only All he was going to start an African National Monetary Fund and African National Bank. IMF and World Bank would be screwed. Then theres the gold dinar, would have displaced the Petro Dollar, we're talking billions of lost revenue for western banks exploiting African resources while leaving the people divided and detitute.

The African nations need to clean up their own corruption. Western corporations won't even touch them right now. This has provided an opening for China.

Thats all they killed him for. To keep hegemony of African resources and debt firmly in western hands.

Problem is, he was a Western asset. As usual, it was the religious nuts who wanted to grab power.

a reply to: DJW001

The African nations need to clean up their own corruption. Western corporations won't even touch them right now.

Pffft... exxon just discovered a zillion barrels of oil off Niger. Exxon will reap the rewards, not Niger, one of the poorest per capita countries on earth.

Stop spreading disinformation. The corruption is with Global Corporations that exploit impoverished African nations for their resources like gold, diamonds, oil, uranium, to name a few. Indeed the west keeps the puppet states in many of these countries divided against themselves (and each other) to keep them from unifying.

US, EU, NATO, all united.

Africa, divided.

For others, this is why they invaded Libya, Qaddafi was trying to unify Africa nations and make Africa more independent, less enslaved to the western yoke. Now look at the place, humanitarian causes fixed it real good. What you see is exactly what was intended. Divide and conquer.

a reply to: intrptr

Pffft... exxon just discovered a zillion barrels of oil off Niger. Exxon will reap the rewards, not Niger, one of the poorest per capita countries on earth.

Niamy and the rebels will fight over it. Nobody wins.