Darwin Launch Site in Australia

[Michel Van]

During ELDO Europa 2 project, it became clear that Woomera launch site was not able to launch payload with Europa 2 to GEO

One Proposal was to build (or move) a Launch site near of the equator, at Darwin in Northern Territory.
http://www.spaceuk.org/bstreak/eldo/darwin.jpg
But the French had build already a launch site complex a Kourou, in French Guiana.
and Darwin plans were mothball, only to resurface from time to time for new Rocket. The last was a russian Soyus rocket, what end up in...Kourou.

Were there any detail plans/layout for Darwin Launch site ?

 

[CNH]

No plans at all. The idea was to find a base for launch into geosynchronous orbit. The choices were between the Seychelles, Australia and Kourou. Since the French were then the dominant force in ELDO, it's not surprising where it went.

 

[Michel Van]

Here the komplet ELDO List

The Seychelles archipelago
Trincomale (Sri Lanka)
Fort Dauphin (Madagascar Republic)
Mogadishu (Republic of Somalia)
Djibouti (French coast of Somaliland)
Port-Etienne (Islamic Republic of Mauritania)
San Marco italy (coast of Kenya)
Darwin (Australia)
The island of Nuku-Hiva Hiva (Marquises, French Polynesia)
The Touamotu archipelago (island of Rairoa, French Polynesia)
The island of Desirade (French West-Indies)
The island of Marie-Galante (French West-Indies)
The island of Trinidad
Cayenne (French Guiana)
Belem (Brazil)
NOTE all French location was also under consideration by CNES for a French Launch Site, in end it became Kourou (French Guiana).

 

[CNH]

I think some one just wrote down all the places that were geographically possible. Very few of those are serious options.

 

[bigvlada]

Mogadishu (Republic of Somalia)

Civil war aside, the best location for a space launch complex is in the desert north of Kismayo,on the equator,next to Kenyan border. With easily accessible maritime approach, combined with rail transport, this is possibly the best place on earth to launch rockets.

That country could benefit greatly from 4-5 launch complexes, built for Chinese, Russian,Japanese, EU and USA rockets.So much opportunities, so little common sense.

 

[Spark]

Hi
Agreed the best area.
There was a discussion BBC TV circa 1953 about East African sites for ELDO with references back to RAF/Military thoughts in the fifties, no survey team was sent out but a request made to the local colonial authorities for details of possible sites including the then even better High Altitude Sites.

Mogadishu (Republic of Somalia)

Civil war aside, the best location for a space launch complex is in the desert north of Kismayo,on the equator,next to Kenyan border. With easily accessible maritime approach, combined with rail transport, this is possibly the best place on earth to launch rockets.

That country could benefit greatly from 4-5 launch complexes, built for Chinese, Russian,Japanese, EU and USA rockets.So much opportunities, so little common sense.

 

[Rickshaw]

Darwin could have been developed but at the time of the suggestion it was a small, sleepy little town. It lacked major infrastructure - there was only one wharf in the harbour (still is only one wharf in the harbour), there was no rail links and no paved road links to the rest of the continent. The airport was small and underdeveloped but did have paved runways. All of that could have been developed but only at expense. Its major export at the time was agricultural (primarily beef) and some resources (Rum Jungle, Australia's first Uranium mine was just down the track). Today, Darwin is facing a resource generated boom from Natural Gas. There are massive plans to develop Natural Gas pipelines, processing plant and harbour facilities.

 

[Grey Havoc]

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/early-european-rocketry-projects.4130/

 

[Pirate Pete]

Heinous crime that it is...
(Have not made a note of the origin of this map)..but...
Possible trajectories, or at least range of trajectories for a Darwin based launch site.
If I recall correctly, one of the reasons that the Darwin idea did not last for long was it's annual rainfall/electrical storms climate.

 

[GTX]

Somewhat related:

Arnhem Space Centre – Equatorial Launch Australia (ELA)

ela.space