African Space Cooperation Program

[Lynneth]

"The Lunar Republic would like to invite all AU members to send a representative to Estuaire.
The main topic of the discussion will be the creation of a unifying, African space program. For this, we would like to request you to showcase your current space programs and their accomplishments so that we may, in a united agency, use the best of the best for the greatest possible success.
We would also like to propose the construction of a new launch loop, possibly two, to allow for easy transport of people and lighter goods into space. Such a project would likely take less than a year, if we all cooperate on it, and it would be far more efficient than current loops, thanks to improvements in materials and other related technologies that have been made by the Republic in the meantime.

We're eagerly awaiting your arrival and contributions."

[VigilantWatcher]

Daniel Willambe, the Head of the Tanzania Federation Space Agency would personally make the journey as he had personally contacted the Lunar Republic to ask for help to get the Tanzania Federation's space station into orbit.

[Joel James]

King Mandella himself will be arriving to attend this meeting. As of right now, the nation has a small launch site, and a military satellite in space. (EDIT:) He will be accompanied by 8 bodyguards, all heavily armed to ensure the king's safety.

Edited April 25, 2012 by Joel James

[Captain Enema]

Port of Sudan Imports and Exports, the business face of Legion and the current face of Legion as well, sends Gentleman Johnny Germaine to represent Legion ltd's interests in the African Union Space Program. With him comes his usual following of "secretaries" and of course his string of "assistants". None of them are armed as they are traveling civilians unless one were to count the bazookas on his "secretaries".

[Lord Zephyr]

Minister of Science, Allyn Hutzell, ever the front man for space exploration in Haven, would attend this meeting. The only man from Haven who had ever been to space wouldn't have much to contribute to the technological space pool. Haven had only launched a few satellites into space itself. And the only reason he had been to space was because of the Lunar Republic.

What he did bring was a lot of land on the equator, and a lot of funding.

[Lynneth]

With these and all other representatives at the meeting, [url="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/Lynneth_del_Serpentas/AE/CNRP/Possible/1308367475695.jpg"]Rocketworth[/url] - who had come from Von Braun just for this occasion - smiled at the group.
"Welcome to Estuaire, everyone. As noted in the invitation, the Lunar Republic would like to attempt unifying our space programs. For this purpose, we asked for everyone to present their capabilities, be it know-how, technology or potential funding.
The Republic, as you all know, is highly successful in colonising space, but despite it all and for all our technology, we currently have only limited capabilities of actually launching something from the planet into space. A launch loop exists, but it may not always be sufficient.
Hence, I request you to present what you have. Be as brief or wordy as you like. Afterwards, I'd like to discuss establishing a unifying agency with which to bring citizens from -all- of the AU's members into space, one way or another."

[Joel James]

King Mandella rose and said "Thank you. As for my nation's space capabilities, they are meager, almost next to nothing. I hate to admit this, but this is true. M nation has a small launch site, and we have successfully managed to launch a military satellite into space. That is about as far as our space technology goes. Considering the plan to put people into space, I am sorry if this causes any unforeseen inconveniences." King Mandella takes one final look around, and takes his seat.

[Captain Enema]

"Port of Sudan Imports and Exports is part of the larger conglomerate known as Legion Incorporated, which controls the 'Moob'. We were thinking of getting into the launch business ourselves, the the launch loops you have can do it cheaper and quicker."

[Executive Minister]

Minister Corrine Teguse would be sent to the meeting with full authorization from the Principality along with strict instructions to provide the utmost in order for African space ambitions to take flight.

[Lynneth]

[quote name='Executive Minister' timestamp='1335462791' post='2959784']
Minister Corrine Teguse would be sent to the meeting with full authorization from the Principality along with strict instructions to provide the utmost in order for African space ambitions to take flight.
[/quote]
OOC: Just a quick note that I forgot to mention: From my previous post onward, everyone's there.

[Lord Zephyr]

"With the expansion of the government in the form of the Haven Economic Corporation we have billions of dollars of funding we can put into the project. I also have some rudimentary knowledge of how the Launch Loops work, and I know that they need to be around the equator. We've volunteered our land before and our offer still stands.

As for the ways of space faring technology, I'm afraid we aren't much more advanced than some of our comrades here. A few satellites launched, no men."

[Executive Minister]

East Africa has had the unfortunate circumstance to ensure that it has a strong and redundant military satellite infrastructure. Under the Principality's tutelage, however, it strives only for peaceful means.

We have had ambitious civilian projects pertaining to the development of the Principality's orbital infrastructure. We have also acquired an ultra-heavy launch platform with which to supplement current Lunar expertise in sending cargo into space.

Presently, the Principality stands with a nearly finished spaceport, an ultra-heavy terrestrial transport fleet, an ultra-heavy launch platform, and an unfinished mass driver for sending unmanned payloads. We also have plans to create an indigenously developed single-stage to orbit aircraft fleet, based on a hull similar to the ultra-heavy Bestower transport.

[Axolotlia]

The PRA representative would arrive fashionably late. Waseem Wagdi would be arriving know the instructions to put forth as much support towards the program as rationally possible.

[Lynneth]

"Alright, if everyone's said their part, I believe we can set up a plan of action.
Aeon has super-heavy lifters, while a few others of you have experience in sending a smaller payload into space. I would thus recommend allocating part of the budget to aid construction of this super-heavy launch platform. The mass driver might be interesting as well, and the Republic would like to help Aeon in developing the system.
In the meantime: there's currently only one launch loop, and an older model to boot. I would ask all AU members for cooperation in constructing at least [i]one[/i] further loop, this one using superior technology. To give comparisons, the standard loop as used currently by all nations is 2,000 km long and can deliver approximately 6,000,000 metric tons into space, per year. That's around 9 tons every launch, or every 45 seconds.
Now, an improved loop could get this up to about 21 metric tons in the same time. Effectively, it would be capable of delivering almost 15 million tons per year into space, very nearly 2 and a half times that of a standard loop. This would give the AU immense potential in expanding further, and potentially take a monopoly role in space exploration. I for one think this very worth the effort. Thoughts, comments, anything?"

[VigilantWatcher]

"The Tanzania Federation will be able to commit at least half of its Space Agency budget, equivalent to around Twenty Billion Dollars to this adventure, plus some launch vehicles and part of the materiel needed to construct it."

Edited May 2, 2012 by Curristan

[Joel James]

the nation of Atlantis will open up the nation's resources to the endeavor. This project as of right has the number 2 priority, right after the construction of the nation's new radar system. Even with that being said, the nation of Atlantis can still allocate $40 billion to this, and the Atlantis Arms & Associates will like to further this contribution by contributing an additional $10 billion ob the behalf of Atlantis, bringing the total expenditure up to $50 billion. I hope that this will suffice.

[Axolotlia]

The People's Republic can set aside $60 billion towards the project in addition to a monthly expenditure of $5 billion towards the development of an African Development Trust Fund to be used for this and future African Union projects.

[Lynneth]

OOC: Sorry for the lack of response, things happen IRL that barely let me post what little I did

IC:
"We thank everyone for their contributions.
With your permission, the Lunar Republic will oversee the construction of a centralised office for the ASCP in our African territory and afterwards head construction of the facilities for a standard launch program using Aeon's super-heavy lifter, as well as the future launch loop mark 2. All of your contributions will allow the program to make massive steps towards practically anything we wish to do in space, be it constructing a space station or establishing a multinational moon colony.
For the record, we will be contributing a total of 105 billion per year to the project, be it in monetary assets or resources."

[Executive Minister]

The Principality has created the first few of several Sternbild rockets that we feel will facilitate Africa's inroads into space. With more and more infrastructure being devoted to Space initiatives in the Principality, we feel this fleet of conventional ultra-heavy lift rockets will grow more and more larger, with reduced costs down the line. African partners within the ASCP are welcome to contribute to the manufacture of additional Sternbild, or Sternbild variants to use at their leisure.

*CLASSIFIED*

Regardless of AU levels of cooperation with the Aeon/Papuan Sternbild initiative, a separate fleet of Sternbild component vehicles was being simultaneously built for the Principality's combined armed forces, secretly accounting for the less than optimal rate of production of the ASCP civilian Sternbild fleet. The Aeon vision of a terrestrial 'planetary defense weapon' would come to fruition - soon the Aeon would be able to deploy a myriad of anti-space ordinance at a moment's notice with silo launched Sternbild-based weapons.

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Classified as a 'big dumb booster', or BDB system, the Sternbild showed much promise with is relatively linear cost when compared to contemporary conventional rockets and its massive payload. However, tests with the Sternbild also gleaned that it is cheaper to mass build and operate a large, strong, heavy rocket of comparatively simple design than to build a few smaller, lighter, increasingly complex ones. Efficiency may go down if this up-scaling is taken too close to heart, but ease of production, operation and maintenance is cheaper, especially when massive payloads are taken into consideration.

Of course, to even think of building a rocket larger than the Sternbild would be a logistical nightmare with regards to the fledgling space infrastructure afforded to the Aeon, and to a lesser extent, the African Space Cooperation Program. One would need to significantly overhaul existing launch sites to allow for larger and larger rockets to be launched from existing ASCP sites.

Enter the Deduco. A fully reusable, two-stage, sea launched rocket capable of lifting 550 metric tons to LEO with a projected cost of 59 to 600 dollars per kilogram. At 168 m tall and 23 m in diameter, it is the largest man-made rocket in existence.

[center][img]http://i710.photobucket.com/albums/ww106/mofailla/seaDragonArt.jpg[/img]
[/center]
To lower the costs of operation, the rocket, dubbed 'Deduco' or 'Founder of Colonies' is launched from the ocean, requiring little in the way of support systems such as gantries or launch infrastructure. An enormous ballast tank system attached to the bottom of the first-stage is used to erect the Deduco in a vertical position for launch. With the cargo placed at the tip or top of the structure, this system ensures any payloads to be delivered are readily accessible from the waterline.

The first stage is powered by a single gargantuan 80 million lbsf (360 MN) thrust engine burning RP-1 and liquid oxygen. After engine burnout at launch plus 1 minute 21 seconds, the rocket would be 40 km up and 33 km downrange, travelling at a speed of 1.8 km/s. Normal mission profiles expend the stage in a high-speed, parachute retarded splashdown several hundred kilometers downrange. The second stage is equipped with a single engine of its own, a 6 million kgf thrust engine burning liquid hydrogen and LOX. This stage burns for an entire 4 minutes 20 seconds after first stage burnout, placing the Deduco 230 km up and 940 km downrange.

Typical Deduco operations would start with the vehicle being reassembled and mated to cargo modules and ballast tanks on shore or beneath specialized nuclear powered tender ships with a catamaran-like or SWATH hull configuration, massive in scale. RP-1 and nitrogen fuel is loaded. The Deduco is then towed to its projected launch site via tender ship, military vessel or detachable waterjet girdle systems. At this time, LOX and LH2 would be generated in transit via electrolysis. Power supply is granted via the nuclear tender ship or ballast mounted generation system.

Once launch is imminent, ballasts are filled to get the rocket vertical, and payload is inserted at the waterline.

Plans are underway to begin construction of Deduco rocket systems, with schematics forwarded to all pertinent ASCP member personnel. The Deduco is envisioned to ease the strain of the terrestrial bound Sternbild system, eventually complementing or potentially overtaking the Sternbild as the ASCP's ultra-heavy lifter platform.


[b]Specifications[/b]

[b]Function:[/b] LEO and Exo-atmospheric Reusable Launch Vehicle
[b]Height:[/b] 168 m 'Tall' (Ballast tanks filled for vertically erect launch position)
[b]Diameter:[/b] 23 m
[b]Stages:[/b] 2
[b]1st Stage Thrust:[/b] 360 MN
[b]2nd Stage Thrust:[/b] 60 MN


[b]Payload:[/b] 550 metric tons to LEO
[b]Cost Per Payload Kilogram:[/b] $59/kg to $600/kg

Edited May 23, 2012 by Executive Minister