Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 248 If you're going to gamble, gamble big!

"What do you mean?" Liu Jiyuan asked.

Li Rui explained, "With President Lin's capabilities, there's absolutely no need to ask Aldrin for sponsorship, let alone undertake projects like the moon landing that are more hype than substance."

To put it simply, we would think it's amazing to get gold coins from Aldrin. First, he's a legendary figure in the aerospace field, and second, he's so old yet still willing to invest in you.

From a professional perspective, if you have the ability, you should just find a domestic investment institution to generate gold coins.

We'll focus on low-cost rocket launches and then gradually iterate towards reusable rockets.

Wang Jiarui questioned, "Isn't it difficult to get money from domestic financial institutions?"

Li Rui nodded: "Of course it's not easy to get. My previous company went bankrupt and dissolved because the investment company withdrew its funds due to slow progress."

To be precise, the money is easy to earn, but the performance evaluation requirements are equally strict.

But they were incredibly generous with the money; Aldrin even had to sell his house to raise funds. As long as you completed the mission, their money would keep pouring into your account.

Li Rui continued, "More importantly, the moon landing is a one-time event and has little significance for the company's operations."

After you land on the moon, you won't be making regular trips back and forth to establish a permanent lunar base. These things won't generate economic benefits for private aerospace companies.

Developing low-cost rockets and securing launch contracts is practically the only way for all private aerospace companies to survive at present.

As a seasoned professional in the industry, with experience spanning both state-owned research institutes and private enterprises, Li Rui is well-versed in the rules of the game in this field.

After thinking for a moment, Wang Jiarui shook his head: "Engineer Li, you also said that there are conditions for taking this money."

What if we can't meet the conditions? Wouldn't we be doomed?

Li Rui said, "That's how it is for ordinary people, but for General Manager Lin, it's impossible for him not to complete the task."

Do you know how long it took the fastest company to get on track?

The two shook their heads.

Li Rui held up two fingers: "Two years."

It took Galaxy Power two and a half years from its establishment in 2018 to its successful orbital launch in November 2020.

Mr. Lin estimates that it will take at most one year to achieve orbit. Mr. Lin's design is a multi-engine rocket, which is quite difficult to design. Both its payload capacity and technical difficulty are far greater than those of Galactic Energy.

For Mr. Lin, raising funds in the market would be extremely easy, given his background at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and his Fields Medal, especially in this era that promotes innovation and high-tech enterprises.

Of course, Lin Ran also needs to contribute money. Developing rockets is too expensive. Even if he buys ready-made rocket engines from China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the price of eight engines for the second stage would be 80 million RMB.

Compared to other companies that make small rockets, Apollo Technologies burns through at least 100 million dollars at a time.

Lin Ran wasn't thinking about getting money from investment institutions; instead, he was looking for donations.

Saying it's begging for alms might sound a bit harsh; saying it's soliciting sponsorships is more appropriate.

In the reception room of Bilibili's headquarters in Shenhai, Lin Ran, along with Li Xiaoman and Aldrin, sat on the sofa waiting to be received by Bilibili's senior executives.

"Professor Lin? Hello, hello, I've heard so much about you." Li Ni, the vice president of Bilibili, smiled and expressed her curiosity about Lin Ran and Apollo Power behind him.

Lin Ran was the most talked-about person in academia last year, with a certain reputation worldwide, and he is a household name in China.

Aldrin, who came with Lin Ran this time, was the first person to walk on the moon after Armstrong's death. The two of them worked together on Apollo technology, which in itself was quite sensational.

This led to Li Ni, who is effectively the second-in-command at Bilibili, being willing to meet with them in person.

She roughly knew the other party's intentions and maintained a curious and cautious attitude towards cooperation.

Lin Ran thought to himself, "Aldrin is really useful. Not only can it generate gold coins, but it can also help me get sponsorships."

"Mr. Li, hello. This is Li Xiaoman, the head of our Apollo Technology business department. This is Buzz Aldrin, the second astronaut to walk on the moon, and also an astronaut from our Apollo Technology."

Lin Ran explained.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Li Xiaoman smiled and turned on her laptop, projecting a PowerPoint presentation she had prepared specifically for this meeting onto the conference room screen:

"Mr. Li, thank you for taking the time."

Apollo Technologies is a leading private aerospace company in China. We plan to launch a large liquid rocket in the first quarter of 2021 with the goal of sending an 8000-kilogram payload into low Earth orbit.

Compared to Ceres-1, which was launched by Planetary Dynamics last year, our payload is 20 times larger in the same orbit.

This is not only a milestone for China's commercial spaceflight, but also an opportunity to showcase innovation. "We believe that Bilibili, as a platform popular with young people, aligns perfectly with our vision," said Li Xiaoman.

Li Ni was very interested after listening to this; aerospace is indeed very attractive to young people.

She nodded and asked, "Ms. Li, the project you just mentioned is indeed very promising. I believe that the young people at Bilibili still have lofty ambitions, and they will be interested in this launch and the rocket you developed."

According to backend data, Bilibili users have a relatively high degree of alignment with technology and innovation.

So, what kind of support do you hope we can provide?

Li Xiaoman switched to the cooperation proposal page in the PPT: "We hope that Bilibili can sponsor 5000 million yuan."

In return, we offer three collaboration options:
First, exclusive documentary filming rights, recording the entire process from rocket design to launch, with a planned 30-minute documentary that will be exclusively broadcast on Bilibili;

Second, Bilibili's brand logo will appear on the rocket's outer shell, and launch photos and videos will be widely disseminated in domestic and international media.

Third, we will conduct joint promotions on the Bilibili platform, including live-streaming the launch event and interactions with content creators (UPs). Mr. Aldrin will also be joining Bilibili.

Li Ni frowned. Fifty million was too much.

Even if a documentary gets over 500 million views, it's not worth it.

Bilibili's marketing expenses in 2019 were 12 billion RMB, and the other party immediately asked for nearly 5% of their total budget.

Li Ni placed the project proposal on the conference table, then shook her head and said, "Documentaries are indeed attractive. Our users like exploratory content, such as science and technology videos."

However, there are significant risks involved.

First, you've never launched before; this is your first launch. What if it fails?
Secondly, it's difficult to determine the actual impact of documentaries like this or Mr. Aldrin's visit on his career.

Even if Professor Lin and Aldrin both have news value, and your collaboration generates buzz, this only guarantees that the documentary will get one million views.

This also depends on Bilibili's streaming, its algorithm, and its users.

After speaking, she paused for a moment and smiled helplessly: "I'm sorry, Professor Lin, I'm not targeting you. Before I came here, my estimate was 500 million, but your asking price is 10 times higher than I expected."

(The Soviet rocket was covered with neon advertisements, including those for Sony, TBS, and Otsuka Pharmaceutical, which looked like plasters on telephone poles.)
Advertising on rockets is nothing new.

The earliest instance should be traced back to the Soviet Union's rocket in 1990, when TBS, Japan's largest private television company, paid the Soviet Union as much as $1200 million.

Of that $1200 million, it was just a side benefit, including sending TBS reporter Toyohiro Akiyama into space.

The primary purpose of the launch was to send Soviet cosmonauts to the Mir space station; the Japanese commercial contract was incidental and also an attempt by the Soviet Union to commercialize its space program.

Therefore, Lin Ran's asking price cannot be considered high; in 90, even a simple ride would cost $1200 million.

But in Li Ni's opinion, your asking price is too high, asking for 50 million RMB right off the bat.

Lin Ran said, "President Li, your concerns are entirely reasonable, but I will never fail."

Li Ni turned her head and stared at the scholar in front of her, who was renowned in the field of mathematics. He was surprisingly young, and the confidence he displayed when he said those words was so strong.

Just as an emperor's word is law, they possess the power to set rules.

“I’m sorry, Professor Lin, of course I believe it won’t fail, but is there anything in the world that is impossible?” Li Ni hadn’t finished speaking.

Lin Ran replied firmly, "No, in the field of aerospace, I will absolutely not fail."

Li Ni frowned: "How can you guarantee that?"

Lin Ran said, "We can make a bet."

If an accident causes failure, we won't take a penny; if the launch is successful, we'll only pay 5000 million. We can easily include such a risk clause in the contract.

After listening, Li Ni nodded. She had done her homework before coming and knew that other commercial space agencies also had similar risk clauses when seeking sponsorship.

Other commercial space agencies are only refunding half.

You can set up a private label advertisement, costing between 200 and 300 million, and if the launch fails, you'll get half back. Lin Ran's offer of a full refund reflects his confidence.

“5000 million is still too high. Can the number of views for the documentary be guaranteed? Can the contract guarantee at least five million views?” Li Ni proposed a new condition.

Li Xiaoman flatly refused: "That's impossible. The production of the documentary is handled by the Bilibili team. We are only responsible for cooperating with you."

The number of views is definitely not guaranteed.

To put it simply, if there were similar clauses, there would be too many uncertainties. Whether it's deliberately suppressing popularity or manipulating view counts in the background, I'm not saying you would do that, but rather that it's an uncontrollable risk for us.

Without terms and conditions, Bilibili offers various promotional activities such as splash screen ads, homepage headlines, and joint promotions with video bloggers, which can easily generate buzz.

But without any of these, relying solely on quality or spontaneous audience promotion makes a huge difference.

Li Xiaoman understands the rules of the business game too well; she immediately pointed out the risks of the terms that Li Ni mentioned.

Lin Ran said, "Mr. Li, would it be convenient for me to have a private conversation with you?"

After thinking for a moment, Li Ni looked at Lin Ran and said, "No problem, Professor Lin, let's go to my office."

Lin Ran asked Li Xiaoman and Aldrin to wait for him in the conference room.

“President Li, the price of fifty million is really not expensive, in fact, it can be described as cheap,” Lin Ran said.

Li Ni nodded: "Of course, but only if you can actually land on the moon."

If you really manage to land on the moon, then 50 million, as the starting point for witnessing this legend, is enough to make it a true treasure of Bilibili. 50 million is indeed not expensive.

Li Ni continued, "Professor Lin, it's not surprising that I know you want to go to the moon. I made ample preparations before coming to see you, and I also talked to my colleagues in our company who graduated from the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Jiaotong University."

You mentioned the Apollo project at the opening ceremony of Jiaotong University, and then your graduation project was also the Apollo project.

Your payload is a full 8 tons. If it were just a simple rocket or satellite launch, there would be no need for an 8-ton payload at all.

Such a requirement only applies to sending people into space, which involves spacecraft.

With Mr. Aldrin and the naming of Apollo technology, isn't it obvious that you want to go to the moon?

Despite the countless impossibilities involved, I believe this is the only answer.

You wanted to talk to me alone, and I think that's what we were going to talk about.

Lin Ran nodded: "That's right, so this deal is a sure thing for Bilibili."

Li Ni looked directly at Lin Ran: "No, Professor Lin, the premise of a guaranteed profit is that you can actually go to the moon."

Lin Ran said, "We definitely can."

Li Ni nodded: "Professor Lin, I believe in you. China has never had a Fields Medal winner trained on its own soil before. You are the first."

No one had been able to solve the twin prime conjecture before, and you are the first.

Fifty million isn't enough. Let's multiply that number by 24. Our total marketing expenses for 2019 were 12 billion. I'll invest all of that 12 billion into you.

However, there are prerequisites to this money.

First, we will stick to your previous terms: exclusive documentary filming rights, with every key moment to be recorded.

Secondly, Bilibili's brand logo should not only appear on the outer shell of each rocket, but also on subsequent spacecraft and lunar landers. Finally, on the moon, the small TV should be taken up with it.

Third, it's not enough for Mr. Aldrin to join Bilibili; you also need to join Bilibili, and Apollo Technology also needs to join Bilibili.

Of course, these are upgraded versions of the conditions you mentioned earlier.

The money will definitely not be transferred to you all at once; it will be paid in installments.

For example, if you complete a rocket launch, that's 50 million; if you complete a manned spaceflight, that's another 50 million; if you complete an unmanned lunar landing, that's 100 million. We communicate the milestone events for each step in advance and pay according to the completion of each milestone event.

We don't have any risk clauses. For example, with rocket launches, we don't discuss whether it will succeed or not. We don't pay until it's successful.

If you fail many times, like failing several times but persevering and finally succeeding, then we will still transfer the 50 million to you after you succeed.

Do you think this cooperation model is feasible?

Li Ni's thinking was simple: since she had already spent 50 million, she might as well gamble bigger.

Sponsoring a Spring Festival Gala can easily cost 200 million RMB or more, and that's not even an exclusive sponsorship.

If we can really land on the moon, an exclusive sponsorship would make 12 billion yuan not expensive at all.

Moreover, in Li Ni's opinion, it would take at least ten years, right? Amortized over each year, it would be more than 1 million yuan, which is not much either.

She was even confident that if the possibility of landing on the moon increased, she could recoup the 12 billion yuan through advertising alone.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Ran nodded and said, "Okay."

The 5 million RMB currently on the books from Aldrin and Shenhai State-owned Assets is enough to complete manned spaceflight and lunar probe landings. With another 12 billion RMB coming from Bilibili, the entire Apollo program will have no financial shortfall.

Li Ni stood up and shook hands with Lin Ran, then said, "Professor Lin, we at Bilibili will review the proposal as soon as possible. We will need your cooperation on the specific plan, including which milestones and how to formulate the tiered payment plan. We need to communicate fully with you later. Would it be convenient for you to add me on WeChat?"

It wasn't about whether it was convenient or not at all; Li Ni simply took out her phone from her pocket, brought up the QR code interface, and placed it in front of Lin Ran.

Can we really say no to a big spender?
"of course can."

"Professor Lin, Happy New Year! I'm so sorry to bother you. If my subordinates hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't have known you had such an interest in aerospace."

Just when Lin Ran thought the collaboration with Bilibili was a done deal, an unexpected person appeared.

That's Pony, the uncrowned king of the Chinese internet.

As mentioned earlier, Lin Ran is from Guangdong Province. When he returned home for the Spring Festival, Pony sent someone to pick him up and take him to Shenzhen for a meeting.

Lin Ran figured out the intricacies of the situation on his way there.

In 2020, Tencent, as an investor in Bilibili, held more than 10% of the company's shares and 3.7% of its voting rights. However, it was not a major shareholder and did not have a seat on the board of directors.

However, he has connections and information on Bilibili.

It's very simple. Bilibili is going to invest 12 billion yuan in them for advertising and marketing. Even if the payment is made after the project is completed, it is still a considerable sum.

This requires a vote by the decision-making committee, and finally, it must go to the board of directors.

It's not surprising that Tencent learned this.

Whenever Pony gives an interview, he always says that he is an astronomy enthusiast and that he aspired to become an astronomer when he was a child.

After learning that Lin Ran's Apollo moon landing project had received $3000 million from Aldrin and another $3000 million from Shenhai State-owned Assets, it would be strange if Pony didn't come knocking on his door.

Pony was very polite and met Lin Ran at her private residence.

Lin Ran nodded and said, "Mr. Ma, Happy New Year."

“Just call me Pony,” Pony said. “I heard you started a company called Apollo Technology.”

"Are you planning a moon landing?"

Lin Ran said, "That's right. After I knew I was coming to see you, I made some special preparations."

Lin Ran took a document out of his briefcase and handed it to Pony:

"Pony, this is the Burning One rocket that we have designed and are now in the manufacturing stage. We expect to conduct verification tests and launch it next month."

These are its design drawings, specific parameters, and the results of computer simulation tests.

Pony took it and examined it closely.

As an astronomy enthusiast, Pony's office is filled with various astronomy books, and after achieving financial freedom, he has ample time to explore knowledge related to space exploration.

He could understand the report perfectly well.

It was precisely because he could understand it that he was amazed by the perfection of the rocket's parameters.

(End of this chapter)