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Caribbean-Latin America
Venezuela, China to launch satellite next year
2011-05-30
Venezuela and China will develop an observation satellite to be built in Asia and launched from South America in 2012, according to Venezuela's science and technology minister.
Once you have a rocket that can lift a satellite into low-earth orbit, you have a rocket that can launch warheads at countries a few thousand miles away. Hugo and Iran are, coincidentally, building a rocket base in northwest Venezuela.
Ricardo Menendez said Thursday that the earth-observation satellite, to be built at a cost of $140 million, would be used to monitor troop movements and illegal mining as well as study climate change and the environment.

"We will have a satellite with the ability to monitor our territory 24 hours a day," he told reporters at the unveiling of the project. "The Venezuelan state will monitor the development and impact of natural phenomena such as earthquakes, floods and heavy rainfall," he added.
And neighboring states like Colombia, so that Hugo can provide some warning to FARC.
The contract was signed by the Venezuelan ministry and the state-owned China Great Wall Industry Corporation.

The launch was set for October 2012, four years after the launch of the "Simon Bolivar," the first-ever Venezuelan satellite, named for the Latin American independence hero and also built with Chinese aid.

"As with the first satellite, the second will be made available to other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean," Menendez said.

The two countries have forged close economic ties in recent years as leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has sought to reduce dependence on Washington. China has bought up invested heavily in Venezuela's oil, gas and mining sectors in recent years and has sold Caracas 18 Chinese K-8 fighter jets.
Which Caracas is going to pay for by granting China more mineral rights, ever so much more clever than dealing with Los Gringos.
Posted by:Steve White

00:01