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[–] 26 points 6 months ago (15 children)

I don't understand what kind of capitalist pig you need to be to allow private companies access to low orbit.

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  • [–] 8 points 6 months ago (8 children)

    It's impossible to regulate space. Even if your government put restrictions on putting things in orbit, the company could just launch under the flag of somewhere else. Blanket banning of commercial space programs would require a universal treaty or would lead to an act of war. Im not saying the US shouldn't try and do something about space trash, but it's not as simple as "just ban corporations from space"

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  • [–] 11 points 6 months ago (3 children)

    There is like 10 launch site in the world. The fuck we can't regulate that ?!

    We simply don't want to.

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  • [–] 6 points 6 months ago (2 children)

    SpaceX bought a retired oil platform at one point to try and use as a launch point. It didnt work, but if you told them they couldn't launch from land they'd probably figure a way out.

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  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago* (1 child)

    Doesn't matter, authorities in the jurisdiction where they are based and also where there clients are can just fine them into oblivion. This government won't but they could, if they wanted to. That's the whole point of the law, regulators "just" have to write it down for it to become what everybody must follow, or have terrible consequences. They don't have to be physically blocked. It's not a technical problem.

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  • [–] 1 point 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

    That's a bigger thing than just closing the spaceports to private companies as OP was suggesting.

    That would likely be politically more difficult to pull off than closing existing ports.

    edit: Just to clarify, one is saying, sorry you can't use our public resources. The other is saying, sorry you can't build your own resources either.

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  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    Space is extremely regulated, SpaceX just gets permits approved to do anything they want because they're extremely cooperative with the US military and CIA.

    Rocket Lab is a private rocket company that launches from New Zealand, but part of the company is in the US so they still have to get an FAA license to launch from any country. No matter where SpaceX goes they would need FAA and FCC licensing.

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  • [–] 6 points 6 months ago (4 children)

    Is it regulated? What's stopping me from putting up a satellite?

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