Bolivia has its Own Satellite

Via the BBC:  Bolivian crowds cheer Tupak Katari satellite launch

The satellite is named Tupak Katari, after an indigenous hero who fought Spanish colonial rule.

Bolivia is one of the last countries in South America to have its own satellite.

President Evo Morales, who was in China for the launch, said it would end Bolivia’s dependence on foreign powers for its communications.

[…]

The launch took place at 12:42 Bolivian time (16:42 GMT) from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in China’s southwest Sichuan province.

[…]

The device, weighing more than 5.2 tonnes, will speed up and improve the quality of telephone and internet connections in Bolivia.

And, of course, being in space is cool.

FILED UNDER: Latin America, Science & Technology, World Politics, , ,
Steven L. Taylor
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor of Political Science and a College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog). Follow Steven on Twitter

Comments

  1. Tillman says:

    I think this is my American privilege talking, but I honestly didn’t know Bolivia didn’t have a satellite.

  2. Andre Kenji says:

    @Tillman: Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. There are unpleasant stories of Bolivians being used as slave labor in the garment industry of São Paulo.

  3. Tillman says:

    @Andre Kenji: Yup, definitely my gringo privilege.

  4. Andre Kenji says:

    @Tillman: Ironically, they prefer to burn the :Brazilian Flag instead of burning the American flag. That´s also why Evo Morales whined so much when his plane was stopped in Europe during the Snowden affair.

  5. ernieyeball says:

    And, of course, being in space is cool.

    When I saw Kubric’s 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1969 I had real expectations that 32 years later Shuttle Service to the Moon and beyond would be routine.
    I guess I can’t predict the future any better than Nostradamus.

  6. Ari Rottenberg says:

    [quote]President Evo Morales, who was in China for the launch, said it would end Bolivia’s dependence on foreign powers for its communications.[/quote]

    Last I checked, China was a foreign power.

  7. BIll says:

    @ernieyeball:

    When I saw Kubric’s 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1969 I had real expectations that 32 years later Shuttle Service to the Moon and beyond would be routine.

    And there would be a Howard Johnson’s restaurant in Orbit. Now there are only two places you can get those 32 flavors of ice cream at.

  8. But does Bolivia have sharks with laser beams dangit!