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Emerging Space Powers: The New Space Programs of Asia, the Middle East and South-America
This work introduces the important emerging space powers of the world.
Brian Harvey describes the origins of the Japanese space program, from rocket designs based on WW II German U-boats to tiny solid fuel 'pencil' rockets, which led to the launch of the first Japanese satellite in 1970. The next two chapters relate how Japan expanded its space program, developing small satellites into astronomical observatories and sending missions to the Moon, Mars, comet Halley, and asteroids.
Chapter 4 describes how India's Vikram Sarabhai developed a sounding rocket program in the 1960s. The following chapter describes the expansion of the Indian space program. Chapter 6 relates how the Indian space program is looking ahead to the success of the moon probe Chandrayan, due to launch in 2008, and its first manned launching in 2014. Chapters 7, 8, and 9 demonstrate how, in Iran, communications and remote sensing drive space technology.
Chapter 10 outlines Brazil's road to space, begun in the mid-1960's with the launch of the Sonda sounding rockets. The following two chapters describe Brazil's satellites and space launch systems and plans for the future. Chapters 13 and 14 study Israel's space industry. The next chapters look at the burgeoning space programs of North and South Korea.
The book ends by contrasting and comparing all the space programs and speculating how they may evolve in the future. An appendix lists all launches and launch attempts to date of the emerging space powers.
Brian Harvey describes the origins of the Japanese space program, from rocket designs based on WW II German U-boats to tiny solid fuel 'pencil' rockets, which led to the launch of the first Japanese satellite in 1970. The next two chapters relate how Japan expanded its space program, developing small satellites into astronomical observatories and sending missions to the Moon, Mars, comet Halley, and asteroids.
Chapter 4 describes how India's Vikram Sarabhai developed a sounding rocket program in the 1960s. The following chapter describes the expansion of the Indian space program. Chapter 6 relates how the Indian space program is looking ahead to the success of the moon probe Chandrayan, due to launch in 2008, and its first manned launching in 2014. Chapters 7, 8, and 9 demonstrate how, in Iran, communications and remote sensing drive space technology.
Chapter 10 outlines Brazil's road to space, begun in the mid-1960's with the launch of the Sonda sounding rockets. The following two chapters describe Brazil's satellites and space launch systems and plans for the future. Chapters 13 and 14 study Israel's space industry. The next chapters look at the burgeoning space programs of North and South Korea.
The book ends by contrasting and comparing all the space programs and speculating how they may evolve in the future. An appendix lists all launches and launch attempts to date of the emerging space powers.
- GenresSpaceEngineering
Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
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March 27, 2021
Space is the common heritage of mankind, is free for exploration and use by all nations and no nation can claim sovereignty on outer space or any celestial body. What began as a maddening space race between US and USSR with shrouded attempts to militarize space, the space endeavors matured towards more humane objectives in the post-Cold War world.
4th October, 1957, Russia succeeded in racing ahead of US in launching its first satellite into space, Sputnik. US quickly caught up and raced past with its multiple space programs, including first human lunar walk in in 1969. The Cold-War rivalry had pushed the dominant world powers to bolt past the rudimentary space technology to much advanced form in a short span of time, with ingenuity and sheer tenacity.
US and Russia continued to be the dominant space-powers with their humungous budgets and advanced technology. They were soon joined by several minor league countries who remarkably climbed up the space ladder in their own smaller forms. This book is a view of the space programs of seven of such countries – Japan, India, Iran, Israel, Brazil, North Korea and South Korea.
The primary goal is no longer competing in the space race. For majority of these countries, the space program are focused on applications like communication, observation, remote sensing and meteorology. Typically spearheaded by one visionary like Hideo Ikotawa in Japan and Vikram Sarabhai in India, the programs were quickly adapted and structured around their local needs. The international cooperation and collaboration extended to support the space program in emerging nation has been praise-worthy.
The book does justice in elaborating the space programs of these seven emerging nations with ample technical detail, which makes this book a little cumbersome and difficult to read. There is no paucity of books written about the much-celebrated space programs of the developed nations like US and Russia, this book helps readers to explore the unsung space programs of developing nations with a glimpse of their challenges, ambitions and achievements.
I would recommend this to readers who already have dug deep enough into niche of space non-fiction but not for the space beginners.
4th October, 1957, Russia succeeded in racing ahead of US in launching its first satellite into space, Sputnik. US quickly caught up and raced past with its multiple space programs, including first human lunar walk in in 1969. The Cold-War rivalry had pushed the dominant world powers to bolt past the rudimentary space technology to much advanced form in a short span of time, with ingenuity and sheer tenacity.
US and Russia continued to be the dominant space-powers with their humungous budgets and advanced technology. They were soon joined by several minor league countries who remarkably climbed up the space ladder in their own smaller forms. This book is a view of the space programs of seven of such countries – Japan, India, Iran, Israel, Brazil, North Korea and South Korea.
The primary goal is no longer competing in the space race. For majority of these countries, the space program are focused on applications like communication, observation, remote sensing and meteorology. Typically spearheaded by one visionary like Hideo Ikotawa in Japan and Vikram Sarabhai in India, the programs were quickly adapted and structured around their local needs. The international cooperation and collaboration extended to support the space program in emerging nation has been praise-worthy.
The book does justice in elaborating the space programs of these seven emerging nations with ample technical detail, which makes this book a little cumbersome and difficult to read. There is no paucity of books written about the much-celebrated space programs of the developed nations like US and Russia, this book helps readers to explore the unsung space programs of developing nations with a glimpse of their challenges, ambitions and achievements.
I would recommend this to readers who already have dug deep enough into niche of space non-fiction but not for the space beginners.
Displaying 1 of 1 review