Guiana Space Centre (1983: Doomsday)
From Alternative History
Guiana Space Centre in Kouru is today the undisputed center and heart of worldwide spatial activities and rocket launches after having recovered from the harsh disputes about possesion with neighboring states after Doomsday.
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[edit] Effects of Doomsday
Although believed a high-priority target for Soviet ICBM's the Space Centre in the French colony of French Guyana surprisingly suffered no direct attack from nuclear devices. A Russian ICBM was thought to be launched, but as the Soviets had trouble hitting a target at such a long range the missile missed and instead crashed into the rainforest in nearby Brazil. Still Doomsday took it toll nonetheless:
- Due to the fallout and the massive EMP burst all communications with satellites failed and were lost immediately. Later tries to initiate contact just succeded with 3 satellites.
- Also the main communications installatios failed and needed a long time to be repaired.
[edit] French Foreign Legion
The 3rd Regiment of the French Foreign Legion, which guarded the facilities, managed to maintain order and fend off attackers, marauders and scavengers.
[edit] Race to Kourou, the Kourou Incident
Quickly,the neighbouring states got word of the valuable installation surviving and rallied to gain their advantage in the supposed power vacuum.
A detachment of elite units from Brazil arrived on November 2nd, 1983. Stunned by the still-functioning defense of the French Foreign Legion, the Brazilians tried to take the installation by force. But after a short siege, the commanding officer of the Legion regiment demanded a cease-fire or threatened to destroy the whole installation. He also demanded official negotiations with the Brazilian government.
3 days later, the Brazilians retreated and an official emissary arrived. After long negotiations an agreement was made:
- Brazil agreed to continued French sovereignty.
- French Guyana would be put under military protection of Brazil and access to the facilities to Brazil scientists was granted.
[edit] Recontact
As soon as contact between the Republic of the French Southern Territories, Portugal and the Nordic Union had been reestablished, the military forces were withdrawn and a European-Brazilian-French-legion security force was setup to guard the Space Center and the whole of French Guyana, though the state would still be considered a part of the RTA.
[edit] Important events
1 January 2001: The first launch of the new-generation "Odyssey" rocket jointly built by several South American and European states is greeted worldwide as the beginning of a new era of space exploration, defined by mutual scientifically cooperation rather than military interests.
12 January, 2009: As planned, the Space Center's Control is transferred to the new League of Nations LoN- Authority for Spatial Operations
[edit] See also
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