British Space Agency etc

Non Air Cadets File 13
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Why are we so damn pathetic in Britain.

I have nothing agaist India or Indians or any race etc

But why for the love of God do we give India a country of 1.6 bn people aid money when they have a succesuful space agency and nuclear weapons program.

Why cant we keep that money ourselves and have a succesful space agency.

“UK Space” is a joke. A patheric off branch of the civil service simply there to dole out small grants for research.

Build a launch site. Actually do it.dont blither on.

Build a UK proprietary launch vehicle. Actually do it, dont wait until everyother nation has.manned access to space bar us.

Grow some genitles and give us a fully sovereign UK space capability.

I mean jesus. We dont even have A-Sat capability in the UK.

Absolutely pathetic.

Big congrats to ISRO…but shame on Britain for once again proving, we are in fact the 3rd World Country.

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I hear you, but the net figure we give to India is far lower than you’re quoting. It ends up around £600m according to the ICIA, once counter-investments in the UK are taken into account. UK aid to India - ICAI

Additionally, this isn’t an either-or where we either give aid to India or have a space programme. The military budget dwarfs what we spend on aid, but it isn’t used efficiently, hence the poor state of our Armed Forces today in terms of personnel and equipment. Create those efficiencies and we may actually have a space command that makes it to space!

Then we need to take into account geo-politics. India has been sourcing it’s goods from the second world for some time, rather than the first world. The aid looks to be a political manoeuvre to ensure investment in AusCanUKUS + NATO country arms manufacturing

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I didnt quote a figure…

Their population is 1.6bn ir whatever

I have no idea on the amount other than any amount is too much.

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My fault for skim reading, sorry!

5

Bring back BERG?

British Experimental Rocket Group

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6

We waste countless billions on other things.

Hs2 for a start.

That could have paid for a fully functioing space agency.

The dividends would have been far better.

Just annoys the poop outta me.

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HS2 is key for a modern functioning transport system.

The problem is that the government keeps cutting the scope of the project which will reduce its benefits.

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We had a viable sovereign launch capability in the 60s and sadly gave it all up. Less than 20 years ago there were RAF officers flying our satellites!
Thankfully we are recovering slowly but surely with some real bright spots like surrey small satellites. There’s multiple launch sites up and coming including RAF linked sites like Saxa Vord, Prestwick and St Mawgan.
If only our cadet space syllabus was any good! Unfortunately all the interesting space stuff the RAF does is classified.

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Even so, why are we giving any aid to a country that has a space programme? Even the Graudian point out that our aid does nothing to help with poverty in India.

Indeed we need more HS2 not less, high speed rail should be a real option. If we are going to spunk billions of pounds let’s do it on infrastructure not on vanity space projects,

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I covered that in the last part of my comment. Aid isn’t just about helping people, and it never has been.

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I was just wondering this very same thing yesterday, it is mad.

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I’ve seen accusations of anti-India racism when people have made this point before, as FCDO aid goes to other nuclear and / or space powers, such as Pakistan and China, without the same comparisons being made.

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Suspect it’s just not as well known, For me if you have a Nuclear weapons programme we shouldn’t routinely be giving you aid. (Having a space programme even more so).

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14

Call me old fashioned, but I am of the personal opinion that it shouldn’t be worn as a badge of honour to have national prestige projects when you also have such a large % of your population living in crushing poverty.

Nevertheless, an excellent scientific achievement for the Indians.

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