Space Technology

In 2002, Dalmatia, France, and Ireland formed the Euro-Consortium in an attempt to form an alliance for the exploration of space. But they have yet to launch its first rocket, and are still to date debating over colour and design schemes.

Germany shocked the world when it was the first country to launch an artificial satellite around the Earth, which it had secretly launched somewhere in the Crimea sometime in the spring of 2002. News of Germany's success only reached the world press three months after the launch. However, the dismantled and decentralised postwar Germany had difficulty in putting together the money and manpower to carry on further developments in the field. So on the 18th of February, 2004, Germany joined forces with the SR, forming the Tysk-Skandinaviske Rum Compagnie (TSRC), after Oldenburg and Holstein, two Scandinavian states that are German fiefs, asked the rest of the SR for help.

Louisianne is the second country to successfully send an artificial satellite into orbit. Louisianne is the only country that seems to be launching any serious amount of satellites, with RepubliComm leading that push, supported by CNEL, now a member of ATOE. Japan will be joining that push as the joint-venture continues.

TSRC and the Euro-Consortium are favoring the heavy-lift rockets much akin to the space race *here*. Louisianne and Japan are dependent on the Sarutahico series of rockets developped by Miçubixi Aeronautics, using similar propulsion to the TSRC, although the main booster carrying a LH/LOX mix. The TSRC are currently developing the tripropellant engine that, when fully developed, should in theory allow space flight from traditional runways.

The TSRC sent a chimpanzee into suborbit on the 11th of August. Almost two weeks later, on the 23rd, a manned VTHL (vertical-take-off-horizontal-landing) version of the tripropellant rocket was successfully launched, carrying two Andamese testæronauts, Georg Aleksandersen Gagadie and Josef Petersen Quitinga, into suborbit, and making them the first cosmonauts. Quitanga also performed the first ever freefall dive from space.

The Federated Kingdoms, in partnership with TSRC and ATOE, launched a series of satellites in September of 2004 that will orbit the Moon and relay images back to Earth, which will allow the creation of detailed maps of the far side of the Moon. The communications relay stations on those satellites, as well as the maps generated, will be used to assist the Japanese-Louisianan effort to land cosmonauts safely on the Moon.

In July 2004, Dalmatia formally announced its withdrawal from the Euro-Consortium, citing French recalcitrance as the main reason, and leaving possible future co-operation with Ireland open. Unconfirmed reports at the time said that Dalmatian engineers took copies of everything they could with them as they departed, and in the case of Dalmatian contributions to the effort, originals were removed where possible as well. An anonymous source inside the Dalmatian defence ministry said that the French and Irish had probably already made copies of everything for themselves, asking, "so why shouldn't we?"

On 27 November 2004 the night sky over the central Malian city of Tomboktu flashed bright as day last night, to the surprise and puzzlement of locals. It was assumed, based on the apparent source of the flash and noise, that an explosion of some sort had taken place at the Dalmatian base nearby. That base being the headquarters and main testing facility for new aeronautical technologies of the Dalmatian military, accidents and explosions are not uncommon there; however, an explosion of such a large magnitude had never been observed there. Rumours abounded as to the cause of the explosion, some even suggesting experiments with nuclear or similar weapons, but a terse statement by the Dalmatian Defence Ministry said that the explosion was caused after a lorry carrying bombs careened out of control and crashed into one of the large storage tanks holding aviation fuel that are scattered around the base. The issue faded away until after the press conference announcing Dalmatia's plans for a suspiciously ambitious space program, when a Malian tabloid newspaper, Blic, ran an article on 7 March 2005 claiming that a high-level source inside the Malian Defence Ministry told them, on condition of anonymity, that the explosion of 27 November last year at the Dalmatian test facility near Tomboktu was in fact related to the Dalmatian space program formally revealed at the 6 March 2005 press conference. The source claimed that the explosion occured during the ignition sequence of a rocket that was to launch a manned capsule into orbit of our planet. He went on to say that the plan had been to announce the spaceflight - and the existence of an advanced Dalmatian space program - upon the successful completion of the mission. With the evidence that was available at the time, many people, despite the origin of the article, suspected it to be true, but any questions directed to the Dalmatian defence ministry were deflected, citing the broadly-held view that Blic is not exactly a reliable source of information. Some extreme thinkers and conspiracy theorists went further, notably Fanta Traore, Mali's best-known proponent of the possibility of extraterrestrial visitors to Earth, who said that the explosion was in fact caused by aliens attempting to prevent humans from succeeding at becoming a spacefaring people.

The news report of the 6 March 2005 press conference:

TOMBOKTU, Mali (APD) Representatives of the Dalmatian Minitry of Defence, the Tesla Electric Company, along with Air Admiral Nikola Yagr of the Dalmatian Air Force and Air Defence, held a press conference at the DAFAD base near Tomboktu today, revealing various details of the Dalmatian space program. Air Admiral Yagr said that a domestic Dalmatian program was begun already as early as 2003, despite Dalmatia's engagement with France and Ireland in the so-called Euro-Consortium. "It was clear almost from the start that the French were more of a hindrance than an assistance to the project," he explained, continuing on to say that funding was secured and the project assigned to the newly-formed 9th Flight of 1523 Test Squadron based at Tomboktu. Development continued in secrecy, until it was decided that the program was at a sufficiently advanced state to be revealed to the world. It was announced that a communications satellite would be launched within the week, and plans to make a manned launch within the month were also revealed. "We have experimented enough, and learned enough from the experiences of others to be fairly certain that these launches will be successful. And, too, we won't do it halfway like the Scandinavians - the first man truly in space will be a Dalmatian, and he will make 10 orbits of the planet," declared Major Petrit Vata, commanding officer of 9th Flight.

On the 3rd of November 2005, numerous people living in Tomboktu and its environs reported seeing a streak of light blazing towards the sky in the early hours of the morning, many believing it to be a space launch. On the 11th of November a short statement was issued by the commanding officer of 1523 Sqn, explaining the streak as being a nighttime test launch of a new rocket-powered air defence weapon. Contrary to this official statement, however, rumours abounded that this was in fact a second attempt at launching a man into Earth orbit. On 4th December 2005 the Malian tabloid Blic published a photograph of a statement on 1523 internal-use letterhead that they claim is an internal report of the incident: that a manned launch was attempted with Major Dorinel Sigeti of the DAFAD inside an orbital capsule, that the launch was successful and ten orbits were made, but that the capsule broke up on re-entry and the pilot was killed. DAFAD officials deny the claim, maintaining that the launch was indeed a test of a new air defence system as previously stated (going so far as to release some information and photographs of a new surface-to-air rocket designed to intercept flying fuselages), and showing a short film of Major Sigeti climbing into the cockpit of a test aeroplane, the film dated 2nd December 2005. Such films are made of every test flight undertaken by 1523 Sqn, thus DAFAD - and those who are skeptical of the increasing claims of numerous failed manned-spaceflight attempts by the DAFAD - say that this is evidence enough that no such launch took place. Those who claim the launch did indeed take place as described - including the editorial board of Blic, who published an open letter on 8th December 2005 to the effect, insist on seeing a live press conference with Maj Sigeti, at which relatives and friends of the test pilot are present to verify his identity.

On 27 March, 2007, Italy announced its formal request to join the Euro-Consortium. Entering space has been a lifetime ambition of Queen Luisa II, and the Italian government is optimistic about its chances of being accepted. As reported by the Florence Observer:

Milano, Italy (Florence Observer) — At noon today, Queen Luisa II [of Italy]'s government announced to the press that it intended to hold a summit in Milano to discuss the idea of joining the Euro-consortium's space program. Italian envoys have been in contact with the Euro-consortium, which seems willing to at least consider the move. Luisa II has been pushing Italy towards joining such a program since the Holy Roman Empire's successful satellite launch in 2002, but this has been a major breakthrough for her government.

Delegates from each of Italy's member states will meet in Milano over the coming few weeks to discuss the idea, and the Queen's government has optomistically stated that they expect a decision to be made by the first week of April.

The Senate this afternoon approved the move by a good margin. This further show of support will probably speed up the summit's decision.

As the national summit occurs in Milano, the Italian government is sending officials to meet with the Euro-consortium to discuss this bid as a probability, not just a possibility. Minister of Science and Technology Emanuele dei Angeli stated that Italy should be optomistic, and that while the Euro-consortium had seemed divided, he believed that this offer would ultimately be accepted.

Also in 2004, the Central Asian space exploration consortium SpaceOrg was founded as a partnership between several private enterprises, amateur space societies and national government agencies in Qazaqstan, Turkestan, Persia and the Moghul National Realm.

By the end of 2009, the consortium had not only developed rockets and launched their first satellite, but were laying plans to send a man into orbit.