Alternative Space Launch Sites

[Michel Van]

Depending on how far the POD is, I can see the Germans using one of their equatorial colonies like Cameroon or Tanganyika as the base for a launch site.

Only if German Empire wins World War one
and Hermand Oberth lead the Empire Space program

in OTL ELDO, France, Britain and others look for equatorial launch site.

here the ELDO List

The Seychelles archipelago
Trincomale (Sri Lanka)
Fort Dauphin (Madagascar Republic)
Mogadishu (Republic of Somalia)
Djibouti (French coast of Somaliland)
Port-Etienne (Islamic Republic of Mauritania)
San Marco Platform italy (coast of Kenya)
Darwin (Australia)
The island of Nuku-Hiva Hiva (Marquises, French Polynesia)
The island of Rairoa (Touamotu archipelago, French Polynesia)
The island of Desirade (French West-Indies)
The island of Marie-Galante (French West-Indies)
The island of Trinidad
Cayenne (French Guiana)
Belem (Brazil)

First they ruled out:
French Polynesia because to far and no infrastructure nearby.
The Seychelles archipelago, French West-Indies and Sri Lanka because, no infrastructure nearby and Suez Cannel problems in 1970s.
Djibouti, Mogadishu, Republic of Mauritania, because the Political instability, today Somalia is Pirate hideout
Darwin in Australia total lack of infrastructure in that time.
Trinidad, i have no Idea why it was not taken.
Brazil was Military Dictatorship

All French location was also under consideration by CNES for a French Launch Site, in end it became Kourou (French Guiana),
so ELDO take already build Guiana space port…

ORTAG a private Launch Organization made fatal error to deal with Dictators,
First with Zaire Dictator Mobutu, who ORTAG promise huge profit, after 3 year of problems and launch failure during demonstration to Mobutu.
the Dictator kick them out Zaire, so ORTAG went in Libya of dictator Gadaffi, here the Libya military seize ORTAG company and hardware
and try to bulid military rocket out ORTAG model, lucky they failed...

 

[HaroldWinthrop]

The Institution of Engineers, Australia has a great little book called "Spaceport Australia" which features 1950s magazine pictures of a spaceport near Woomera. It might have happened with a little more determination and a little less colonial cringe - instead the launch platforms used for the Europa rocket were sent to French Guyana.

I once worked for Australia's National Archives and did a fair bit of work on the archives of the Commonwealth Railways, which had a short branch line from Pimba on the Trans-Australian Railway to West Woomera that served the rocket range and testing grounds. I worked a lot with the files and there was quite extensive correspondence on rockets and weapons tests.
Useful stuff to a determined researcher.

HW