Rival Libyan governments 'enter space race'
In the News
| 01-04-2015
Exactly a year after Libya's interim government made a surprise announcement to launch a space programme, a move exclusively reported by the Libya Monitor, the country's rival administrations are now apparently engaged in an incredible race to send a Libyan into orbit by the end of the decade.
The gradual disintegration of the country over the past year has seen the emergence of two parallel governments, both competing fiercely on a number of political, economic and military fronts.
Space, the final frontier, now seems to have become the latest battleground between the two sides.
"Both governments have been spending considerable time and resources on space exploration initiatives," said an unnamed source who was recently quoted in local media, "and are racing to launch rival missions that they believe will cement their legitimacy."
The official claimed both sides were already working to find possible launch sites, and are considering what to call their ambitious programmes.
Last year's plan was provisionally entitled the Astrological Pan-Galactic Revolution In Libya (APRIL-1), with the rival scheme understood to be dubbed the "Future Outerspace Opportunity Launch," or FOOL.
Despite the bitter rivalry, the official hinted that a "unity" space mission could still be formed if both sides were willing to enter talks.
"All parties are open to UN-brokered talks over the space programme, " he was quoted as saying, "but only if they take place on neutral ground, for example a location that is not on planet earth."
But any group is likely to struggle to finance such an expensive scheme, despite both governments having recently approved non-existent budgets of over LD100bn ($80bn) towards the missions.
There are even reports of disagreements over how many people, and from which areas, should be sent on any space flights.
"A new committee is considering whether a Libyan from every town and village should be sent on the mission," said the official.
"Obviously that might add to the cost, but would be far more democratic. Also the commitee is not expected to deliver its findings until approximately 2019, by which time no money will be left at all."
Other stumbling blocks involve the use of foreign countries' airspace, with the EU and Egypt already ruling out the possibility of any Libyan-launched space shuttle passing over their territory.
Even more troubling, perhaps, are rumours that prominent individual cities in Libya may launch their own independent missions.
"We know that certain cities looted huge amounts of military equipment after the 2011 revolution," said the official, "and this is thought to include space shuttles, moon bases, and gigantic green space lasers that were developed by the Gaddafi regime and were stored in secret underground bunkers that NATO did not know about".
We understand that no further updates on the matter are expected until 1 April 2016.
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