Venezuela Government Plans Satellite Launch In 3 Years -Report

[bemildred]

CARACAS -(Dow Jones)- Venezuela's government plans to put a satellite in orbit in three years with China's help, government officials said late Wednesday.

After considering proposals from various countries, such as Russia, France and India, among others, the government decided China was offering the best proposal, which includes technology transfer to Venezuela, said Rene Arreaza, head of the top level commission in charge of the project, local newspaper El Nacional reported Thursday.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has voiced an interest in placing a satellite in space to guarantee Venezuela's self-sufficiency in matters of telecommunications.

In pursuit of that idea, the government created a 10-member space commission in early January that handles everything related to the satellite purchase.

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[Village Idiot]

1. All the "Star Wars" rhetoric this week suddenly makes sense!!!

Assclowns.

[carnie_sf]

2. That would be sweet

and ironic in pointing up the debilitating effect of american neglect of basic science.

[cprise]

3. WSJ is sounding the alarm bells:

" Chavez, a self-declared believer in big government, has promised to launch a number of large-scale projects such as an airline, a telecom company, and a South American television channel - all run by the government."

From what I've read of Chavez's proposals so far, he is in favor of economic co-determination where government invests in (buys) part of a corporation in exchange for having workers elected onto the company's board of directors.

But the WSJ glosses over this and makes it sound like communism.

[IChing]

4. The US system would be able to

take out communication satellites in space. Communication dismemberment has always been a key to military operations