HN

Need help?
<- Back
Private German rocket makes history, reaches orbit from European soil

Private German rocket makes history, reaches orbit from European soil

bookmtn

Comments (166)

  • hypfer
    This is a huge success, but it I think also tells us that the EU is further decoupling itself from the US. Slowly but steadily.Which is obviously the right thing to do, but it's interesting that it's not just a hypothetical anymore.
  • godwinson__4-8
    A good historical nugget is that the Americans got a huge leg up in the space race by importing the Germans who worked on the V-2 program.Germans killed Soviets by the millions. If you were a German of value (like a rocket scientist) you were eager to surrender to the Americans before the Soviets could get their hands on you.If you were the Americans, you distrusted the Soviets already, so it was a win-win.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Paperclip
  • whatever1
    Yeah in general it’s good advice to not existentially challenge the Germans.
  • MadrasTh0rn
    One can hope they can repurpose this to a shield for Ukraine
  • blini-kot
    Plesetsk is also european soil.
  • artisinal
    I wonder whether the Sámi people have been consulted or compensated for the use of their traditional lands as a rocket launch site. Given Norway’s long history of suppressing Sámi people and their land rights, I'd be interested to know how that was handled.
  • formvoltron
    i was under the impression that the closer you launch from the equator, the less sustained force you need. wrong?
  • capocasa
    This is such a breath of fresh air
  • ChrisArchitect
  • StanislavPetrov
    The Germans also launched the first rocket to make it to space on June 20th 1944, though it wasn't privately made.
  • milleramp
    Made with imipolex g?
  • MisterMunchkin
    How can it be the first European rocket? There’s the ESA! Are you telling me we have all these organisations and none of them have ever launched from their own continent?
  • anon
    undefined
  • verzali
    Fantastic job!
  • shevy-java
    The sooner Europe cuts itself off from the US crazy billionaires, the better - on all levels (software and manufacture processes are the two biggest issues). Today we already could see the US surrender team crawling up to dictator Putin. Enough is enough - agent Krasnov needs to be isolated.
  • arthurpatch
    [flagged]
  • hinkley
    [flagged]
  • anon
    undefined
  • GoGermany
    o/
  • hn_submit
    The Germans will now distance themselves from ArianeSpace and go their own way. Let the infighting begin!!