This is what I heard via a press contact at the Leicester Space Centre, who wants to remain anonymous, so, i.e., in a job!
Why have Google acquiesced to the Chinese so readily in recent years? Easy! So as not to bugger up this deal!
The Google Space Station is, in fact, a private funding by Google of a modified version of the Chinese Space station programme, and the launch/launches use the "CZ-2E(A) Intended for launch of Chinese space station modules. Payload capacity up to 14 tons in LEO, 9000 (kN) liftoff thrust developed by 12 rocket engines, with enlarged fairing of 5.20 m in diameter and length of 12.39 m to accommodate large spacecraft [57]" (Partly from Wiki
Chinese space program - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
The launch took place -I am reliably informed- from the Hainain Spaceport, and mission control is from the Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Centre, though there's a direct link to Google's HQ in Mountain View, Ca., where former NASA staff -let go due to budget cuts- are helping oversee operations.
It is thought one of the main reasons why Google are funding this space station programme is because they will use the Space Station to co-ordinate a series of Clarke Belt satellites, from which Google would be able to provide stable satellite Internet and TV programming to the entire world. So this would confirm the point in the article about the war with Sky. After all, Sky doesn't own one satellite, and Google now owns the basis of a space station -more components are to be launched over the next few months- and will be able to use the space station to launch the Clarke Belt Satellites by seeding them as it orbits the Earth, and then position them using propulsion units on the satellites.
It's my understanding that the space station is small, because it is the first part of a four-unit space station, though this could be expanded to a maximum if eight pods, all from the small central unit that is already in orbit, though not yet manned, or so my contact at Leicester had heard, via his contact in Mountain View, a former NASA employee.
By the way, the spacing between the words is a common problem in Newspapers. Quark Express, for example, will do that. Even though they bill it as the best publishing design programme in... oh! Sorry! I was going off on one!
Don't get me started on newspaper design and sub-editing!
But a side issue, if Google can't get Adsense and Adwords right, why are they bothering to go into bloody outerspace?? Unless, of course, they consider Adwords/Adsense as small fry, compared to this? After all, there will be Billions and Billions of $$$ to be made by private corporations when they come to the exploitation of the moon, the asteroid belt, etc. Maybe this Google in Space idea is something that needs to be watched? But by whom??
