This star is going to the moon

Chapter 388 Environmentalists and animal rights activists come to cause trouble, and an angry Ma Yilong comes up with a surprising move!

"As expected, it was because the speed when landing was too fast that it crashed."

Lu Yun shook his head as he watched the explosion of the advanced prototype of the "Super Falcon" second-stage rocket.

"You figured it out a long time ago?" Yu Xingchen asked.

"more or less."

Lu Yun stared at the screen filled with flames and said, "Actually, I felt there was a problem when it was being built. Because it's a large, reusable rocket prototype with a diameter of 9 meters, unlike any other, its fuel pipeline design is different from that of previous rockets..."

Yu Xingchen knew about Ma Yilong's rapid R&D strategy of "exploding, exploding, exploding", so he was not optimistic about this test flight. However, he could only analyze that there might be various problems with this test flight, but he could not point out a specific place where a problem would definitely occur.

Of course, he wasn't surprised to hear Lu Yun say that. After all, they had been working together for so many years, and he knew better than outsiders how amazing Lu Yun was.

After listening to Lu Yun's analysis, the problem was finally attributed to insufficient engine thrust due to low fuel tank pressure, resulting in excessive landing speed and ultimately causing an explosion upon impact.

Lu Yun's reasons were very valid, and were even "proactively" given by Space Fork.

After all, Elon Musk was very confident at the beginning, so when developing the "Super Falcon", he didn't hide anything at all. He even built the rocket on the construction site. The process of building the rocket was clear and could be watched by people nearby.

Around that time, there was a lot of information about the "Super Falcon" prototype online, including the internal structure pieced together by many people from bits and pieces of information.

Of course, the rockets built on the construction site were experimental rockets, not the rockets that would be used for launch missions after they were officially finalized. In addition, due to Elon Musk's special concept of technological iteration, the experimental models of the "Super Falcon" often exploded.

However, that was all in the past. When Lu Yun rose to prominence, especially after the appearance of the "Wooden Kite", Ma Yilong accelerated the construction of the "Super Falcon" research and development and production base.

In the future, he will also be developing the "Super Falcon" rocket in the greenhouse, and he can't let people see it casually.

Despite his words that "Lu Yun is busy with China's manned lunar mission and there's nothing to worry about," he is actually more diligent in taking precautions than anyone else.

He was genuinely afraid that Lu Yun might just copy his "Super Falcon" without much effort.

Everyone knows that Lu Yun is a "rapid-fire R&D expert"!
Lu Yun's current focus is not on his 10.6-meter "Starship" rocket, but who knows if he is secretly observing the 9-meter diameter "Super Falcon" rocket, and then combining the technology with the existing technology of Laos and China to quickly develop "Starship"?

Even if it's only a day faster than the "Super Falcon," let alone months faster, Elon Musk would be furious.

However, Lu Yun's work focus is not on the "starship" right now. Tomorrow is the first fully commercial space trip of the space shuttle, the first space tourism flight in human history, so he took leave today and went to the space airport.

This historic moment is one that even if he wanted to be absent, the company, the country, and the audience would not allow him to be.

As for the audience, they have more free time. Even though it's almost midnight, the advanced prototype of the Super Falcon second stage rocket has kept them alert.

This thing's strength lies in its advanced technology, and its weakness lies in its advanced technology.

The advanced prototype looks just like a proper two-stage rocket. You can hype it up however you want before the test flight, and even say it will be finalized soon after the test flight is successful.

However, when it exploded, because it was very similar to the final configuration, people could simply say that the "Super Falcon" rocket had exploded.

After all, the initial prototype, which resembled a "stainless steel boiler," exploded with minimal impact, but this time it's different.

Good heavens, is Elon Musk's 9-meter diameter rocket reliable? How could it explode so suddenly?

Well, it's actually quite normal for prototype rockets to have problems, since they haven't been officially finalized yet.

[Haha, that's not what you guys said before. Didn't you say it was comparable to a real two-stage rocket, and that after a successful first-stage booster in a few months, the payload could be officially launched by the middle of next year?] [Where are the people who were calling it "the light of humanity"? Speak up!]

[I always thought Ma Yilong's method was unreliable. Why keep exploding like that, especially while developing rockets on a construction site? It wouldn't be surprising if problems arose one day due to too much dust inside the rocket.]

Is this modified second-stage version of the "Super Falcon" rocket still competing for the lunar lander contract? Can it win if it keeps exploding like this?

It's hard to say, but now it's a three-way choice, and the other two haven't made a single move; I've even heard they're still building models.

[They're still building models even in the final selection stage? While Elon Musk's rocket may have exploded, at least it was a real rocket. Do they really think they can catch up with the 2024 return-to-the-moon program with this kind of approach?]

I used to think Ma Yilong was pretty awesome, always pioneering new things, but ever since Lu Shen invented the space shuttle, I've changed my idol. Lu Shen is the best!

Indeed, it's just that Lu Shen's current focus isn't on the super rocket "Starship," so I'm quite eager to see the "Super Falcon," this substitute, succeed.

[Actually, they're about the same. Both Lu Shen and Ma Yilong are busy with manned lunar landings; his Mars colonization plan is the most unreliable.]

That makes sense. Lu Yun is working on the manned lunar rocket needed domestically, while Ma Yilong is working on the lunar lander needed for a manned lunar mission.

[This is so different. Lu Shen was indeed the chief designer of the lunar rocket, while Elon Musk's lunar module design is still uncertain, and he has two competitors.]

Anyway, let's just wait and see. I think our space race with the US is still centered around the moon; colonizing Mars is still too far-fetched, and I feel like it's unlikely to happen anytime soon.

If it's just about sending people to Mars, I feel it will be within twenty years...

As time went on, it got to midnight on the Chinese side, and the discussion quieted down.

In other places, especially in the US, it's lunchtime, and the discussion is quite lively.

After all, it's not just Chinese netizens who like to browse the internet while eating; American netizens do the same.

Then the power of the advanced prototype was also demonstrated.

Because Elon Musk repeatedly showed off the fully-fledged "Super Falcon" rocket, netizens now assume that this thing is the fully-fledged second stage of the "Super Falcon" rocket.

Many netizens began to question the correctness of Ma Yilong's "explosion" R&D plan.

Even more excited than netizens were various organizations, such as environmental protection organizations and animal protection organizations.

Environmental organizations are questioning the environmental impact of the explosion and even the entire Super Falcon manufacturing facility currently under construction.

After all, this manufacturing base is located in a coastal wetland, and the "wetland environment" is a very fragile environment that needs protection.

Animal protection organizations are also outraged, as many unique species live in the coastal wetlands, and they feel that the roar and explosions from the rocket engines here will affect the seals' reproduction.

The explosion of the advanced prototype was already a headache for Ma Yilong, and now this kind of dirty stuff is getting in on his way, making him even more annoyed!
"Damn it, didn't they say the roar of rocket engines would affect seal reproduction?"

Ma Yilong said angrily, "Thomas, you form a new team, catch a few seals, and then make them wear headphones and listen to the roar of rockets. See if it affects their reproduction!"

"...Okay, BOSS."

(End of this chapter)