Russia To Build Cuban Spaceport. In 1962.

[Mad Bad Rabbit]

September 1, 1962.
Speech by Premier Fidel Castro, in response to JFK's moon speech.

"At the same time that the United States proposes to fly hundreds of thousands of kilometers through space to the moon by virtue of its industrial and technological development, it also maintains the most iniquitous exploitation of hundreds of millions of human beings who even now are beginning to awake and struggle. [applause]

"I assure you that all of their imperialist technicians together are not worth one good revolutionary technician. [applause] Assuredly, they will never reach the moon or discover anything, for they are incompetents, good-for-nothings, parasites, reactionaries, and scoundrels.

"Precisely at this point, this year of 1962--when technology leads the revolution in an unbelievable way, it is the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics that has succeeded in reaching outer space; and with their generous assistance it shall be Cuba who is next to place a true satellite into orbit!" [extended applause]

- - -

The Kennedy Administration will of course be extremely angry; but will they be able to react with a blockade as in OTL? The Soviets can claim with a straight face that they're building a peaceful space-launch facility ; that it needs to be in Cuba (just as the U.S. needs to launch from Florida) ; and that the SS4 and SS5 lower stages they're delivering don't have warheads (not yet, anyway).

 

[Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy]

September 1, 1962.
Speech by Premier Fidel Castro, in response to JFK's moon speech.

"At the same time that the United States proposes to fly hundreds of thousands of kilometers through space to the moon by virtue of its industrial and technological development, it also maintains the most iniquitous exploitation of hundreds of millions of human beings who even now are beginning to awake and struggle. [applause]

"I assure you that all of their imperialist technicians together are not worth one good revolutionary technician. [applause] Assuredly, they will never reach the moon or discover anything, for they are incompetents, good-for-nothings, parasites, reactionaries, and scoundrels.

"Precisely at this point, this year of 1962--when technology leads the revolution in an unbelievable way, it is the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics that has succeeded in reaching outer space; and with their generous assistance it shall be Cuba who is next to place a true satellite into orbit!" [extended applause]

Wait, is this an actual OTL speech or did you make it up?

 

[FlyingDutchman]

Why would the Soviets invest bucketloads of money in building a launch-site in a more or less independent nation without any strategic advantage for them other then a PR-stunt?
Not only will they need to build that launch-site, they'll also have to spend additional heaps of money in improving the infrastructure (in the broadest definition of that word) to make Cuba capable of (sustained) operation of the launch-site.

Besides, even Kourou (the European launch site in French Guyana) is already 500 km north of the equator. The closer an orbital launch is to the equator, the more advantageous you can use the rotation of Earth (as long as you launch Eastwards).
http://www.esa.int/esaMI/Launchers_Europe_s_Spaceport/index.html

Cuba is at least 1000 miles more to the North.
That means that any excuse that they picked Cuba because of it's position isn't plausible. Baikonur itself is hardly more to the North then Cuba itself is.
Furthermore, by launching towards the East, you'll have debris and other environmental hazards dropping on the Bahama's (British), Dominican Republic (under American influence) and Puerto Rico (American).
That means the West has convincing reasons not to be happy with a launchsite in Cuba.

Also, NASA might be part civilian in nature, but was the Soviet spaceprogram part civilian too?
If the Soviet and Cuban spaceprogram is mostly military, I doubt the average Joe Sixpack would really care if the Soviets use that spaceport for civilian purposes too.

No matter how good/bad a president anyone would think JFK is, his administration would only laugh themselves silly if the Soviets try this.

So I'd guess it wouldn't be a good idea.

 

[Riain]

Baikonur is at 45 degrees north, Cuba is at about 22 degrees and in terms of extra payload into LEO that would be a huge difference. It is not a bad idea in ballistic terms at all, considering the alternative.

 

[Mad Bad Rabbit]

Why would the Soviets invest bucketloads of money in building a launch-site in a more or less independent nation without any strategic advantage for them other then a PR-stunt?

After the Bay of Pigs incident, Castro's been bugging Kruschev nonstop to give him some SS4 and SS5 nuclear missiles as a deterrent. In OTL, Russia tried to sneak the missiles to Cuba under the table, and we see how badly that went. Kruschev lost his job, and we almost lost the Northern Hemisphere.

In ATL, Kruschev gets the idea to give Castro the missiles, without actually giving him "missiles". They can openly ship Cuba the "launchers" and set up the site now ; launch some howler monkeys and goats into orbit ; then worry later about sneaking in any 'special' payloads. Unless/until the CIA can prove such payloads are on-hand (much harder to spot from U2 recon photos than the missiles themselves), can Kennedy justify an airstrike against the place?

 

[Mike Stearns]

Baikonur is at 45 degrees north, Cuba is at about 22 degrees and in terms of extra payload into LEO that would be a huge difference. It is not a bad idea in ballistic terms at all, considering the alternative.

Correct. The USSR would stand to gain by building its launch facilities in Cuba. The Earth rotates faster at the equator than it does at the poles. If you launch a rocket on or near the equator, you save fuel because the rotation of the Earth provides a kind of gravitational tailwind.

There are political problems with this, however. If the Kennedy administration, or its equivalent suddeny discovers launch pads and rocket components in Cuba, they will automatically assume that the manned space missions are really a cover to put ballistic missiles in Cuba and you find yourself dealing with the Cuban Missle Crisis.

 

[FlyingDutchman]

Did you guys read (the rest of) my post?
Baikonur might be a bit more to the North then I thought but the rest is still valid.

Launching eastwards over British/American territory isn't going to work; the Russians have trouble enough with that at Baikonur now.

IIRC they actually don't launch eastwards there anymore because of toxics etc falling on another country.

 

[grdja83]

22 north and 45 north isnt in any way "a bit".