The deal with Beal didn't happen but why did Beal Aerospace Tech wanted to put a base in Guyana? *** A major advantage of the Guyana site for the spaceport is its proximity to the Equator. This makes it easier to launch satellites, as the satellites can use the centrifugal force of the Earth to get into orbit. According to the company, a rocket launching a satellite into geosynchronous orbit from a site on the equator uses about 10-20% less fuel than rockets launched from Cape Canaveral.
The country has two other geographical advantages. It has large remote areas suitable for an incredibly noisy activity like launching rockets. The second reason is the expanse of ocean to the east and north, which is important for safety reasons. All rockets carrying satellites into geosynchronous orbits will be launched to the east, and all other satellites will be launched to the north. Beal's rocket, like all current rockets capable of launching satellites, will have multiple stages. As these stages fall off, they can fall into an uninhabited area. Similarly, if a rocket has to be aborted, it is important that it can fall to earth without incurring any safety obstacles.
Other reasons cited by Beal are the site's location in an english-speaking country with a legal system not dissimilar from that of the USA. The country is also politically stable.***
_________________________________________________________________
(July 23, 2001)--sohu.com--Venezuela calls for end to Guyana border dispute--[Full text] Pro-government Venezuelan lawmakers have called for a peaceful end to a century-old border dispute with neighboring Guyana, under which it claims some three-quarters of the former British colony. The legislators visited settlements on the border with Guyana on Saturday to sign a declaration supporting President Hugo Chavez' position that a 1899 treaty giving a mineral-rich region called Esequibo to Guyana was "null and provocative."
The declaration also urged both nations to work for a swift solution to the dispute which would be "just, long-lasting and acceptable."
"We held a special session of the parliamentary Defense Committee and then we signed the document," legislator Saul Ortega told Reuters on Sunday. Over the past two years, Chavez's nationalist administration has revived the border controversy over Esequibo, a sparsely inhabited jungle region of some 63,600 square miles (159,000 square km) in eastern Guyana.
During his weekly radio talk show "Hello President" on Saturday, Chavez pledged cooperation "with Guyana and with all the people which live in that immense territory." "This cannot remain in limbo for much longer, we have to solve this situation," said Chavez, after talking by telephone with National Assembly President William Lara who headed the delegation.
Lara, a staunch Chavez supporter, insisted that "we do not have a hostile stance. This is not an unfriendly gesture toward Guyana or anyone." In recent weeks, Chavez has also strongly defended Venezuela's sovereignty over a tiny island, the Isla de Aves, amid criticism from eastern Caribbean nations. The desert island, which is only inhabited part of the year, lies some 350 miles (565 km) north of Venezuela's coast. [End Text]
________________________________________________________
Russia in Venezuela looking for launch site*** Russian-Venezuelan trade totals $100 million a year. The Russian delegation, including Oil Vice Minister Leonid Tropko, was expected to sign pacts on tourism, Russian investment and exploring the possibility of a commercial satellite launching facility in Venezuela.***
China's leader has visited Hugo Chavez and their countries have signed many agreements. I don't doubt Chavez would welcome any anti-American country to establish a beachhead or build a launch facility in his country. China already has set up a spy station in Cuba. -- Russia closing huge eavesdropping site in Cuba*** The move by Russia raised speculation that China would now take the lead in covert operations on the island. The Chinese are alleged to have built an identical eavesdropping facility in Cuba known as Bejucal. The 2-year-old post in Havana province is believed to be capable of both eavesdropping and ``cyber-warfare.''***