Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 251 A Major Breakthrough in Private Aerospace

The rocket's fairing was covered with icons.

Bilibili, WeChat, QQ, and Honor of Kings.

Tim pointed at the advertisement and asked, "Brother Qian, what's this?"

Qian Fei said, "Oh, you mean this? This is part of our cooperation with Bilibili and Tencent."

I inquired about it, and it should be called advertising sponsorship.

In other words, the launch of Burning One was sponsored by Bilibili and Tencent.

Advertising on rockets has a long history. During the Soviet era, Sony advertised on Soviet rockets, and later Russia also printed the Pizza Hut logo on rockets.

(A 1999 Pizza Hut ad on a Russian rocket cost $100 million)
(Weibo advertised on Ceres-1)
Director Bi looked at the rocket and fell into deep thought. He asked, "Brother Qian, why do you think the advertisement is printed on the fairing?"
The fairing will detach during the initial flight phase, so the exposure time is very limited. It would be better to expose it on the side of the first stage, which would allow for a longer exposure time.

Qian Fei explained: "Generally speaking, rocket advertisements are usually printed on the side of the first stage because this position is more conspicuous and lasts the longest during launch, and it best meets the visibility requirements of the advertisement."

Pizza Hut's rocket ad and SpaceX's Falcon 9 are examples of this.

But the fairing isn't out of the question either, since it's the most conspicuous part.

After we communicated with Mr. Ma, he from Tencent made the final decision, saying that it should be placed on the fairing.

Just as they were chatting, Lin Ran and Pony walked into the workshop.

However, instead of looking down the corridor, they went directly to the first floor and walked down to the base of the rocket to observe it.

Tim gestured to the photographer to quickly point the camera at Lin Ran and Pony below.

"Why doesn't it have boosters?" Pony asked. "I see many rockets have boosters, including our domestic Long March series rockets."

Lin Ran said, "Actually, the heavy-lift launch vehicles that China's aerospace industry is currently developing no longer have boosters."

The booster is more like a product of its time.

Tsiolkovsky's ideal rocket equations are actually for bare-rod multi-stage rockets without parallel or half-stages. From an intuitive point of view, rocket engineers should also design them as bare-rod rockets.

Back then, we developed rockets with boosters to solve the problem of unreliable high-altitude ignition of liquid rocket engines.

The American and Soviet Union solved the problem of high-altitude engine ignition, so neither of them will put boosters on rockets with clear payload requirements.

The American second-generation intercontinental ballistic missiles Titan I and Titan II, and the Soviet Union's second-generation intercontinental ballistic missiles R-9 and R-16, all reverted to a single-strut configuration.

Because this is the right thing to do.

The main launch vehicles developed later, such as the Soviet Union's Proton and N1, and America's Saturn I and Saturn V, were all single-rod rockets.

Of course, you may still have questions. Today, engine ignition reliability has long been resolved, but you can still see launch vehicles with booster attachments on the market.

Delta series, Atlas series, SLS and the future ULA Vulcan, Russia's heavy rocket Energia, Zhurong Star, and Angara three brothers, and China's original Long March series.

There are two main reasons for this. First, boosters were included in the initial design. By adding or removing boosters, or changing the number of boosters, the coverage of the transport capacity can be achieved, so as to minimize the waste caused by capacity mismatch.

The American and Russian rockets mentioned above are basically all for this purpose.

For example, the Energia heavy-lift launch vehicle, which the Russians planned to put into large-scale use in the 1990s, has two boosters: Angara; two boosters with tandem payloads: Energia-M; four boosters: Energia; and eight boosters: Venus.

Our Long March series rockets were originally planned to be modular, and even two types of boosters, 2.25 meters and 3.35 meters, were planned. However, for some reasons, modularization was abandoned.

Another reason, taking the Long March 2E and 2F, Long March 3B and 3C, and the America Titan 3C rockets as examples, is that the later high-capacity models were improved from the earlier single-rod designs, with boosters added to increase capacity. This is essentially a form of modularization, just not part of the original planning.

However, due to an unreasonable interstage ratio, this usually leads to a loss of carrying capacity. The most typical example is the Long March 6A.

But today, when we plan new rockets, with the Falcon 9 as a precedent, and our designs are all aimed at recovery, the cost savings from modular matching of launch capacity are obviously lower than the cost increases brought about by the complexity of modularization.

Rockets with clear payload capacity requirements will naturally not have boosters.

Although Burning 1 will not be used for lunar missions, it can be modified to become a rocket similar to Falcon 9.

Our current payload capacity is about one-third that of the Falcon 9, and it also has a two-stage structure, with multiple engines on the first stage and one engine on the second stage.

Pony found it quite novel, after all, China's heavy-lift rocket without boosters is still under development, and this is a very rare heavy-lift rocket at present.

Although I had seen it before, no matter how many times I watch it, the sense of novelty and oppression brought by the giant machine is still so strong.

"Okay, I can't wait to see the rocket launch."

"Mr. Lin, I imagine I'll feel just as excited as you when we successfully get together." Pony's attitude changed rapidly after just a few days.

To put it simply, if Lin Ran succeeds in getting the rocket into orbit this time, he can get a medium-sized rocket with a payload capacity of 8 tons into orbit within six months.

The technology used is still the seven engines in parallel without boosters. Lin Ran is the number one figure in China's private aerospace industry, without exception.

It's more than twice as fast as other companies making small rockets. What does that mean?

It's like taking a math test. Others might take 120 minutes to get a score of 90 out of 150, while you finish in half an hour and get a score of 130.

From a capital perspective, achieving a score of 150 still requires mastering reusable rockets.

After all these years since the Falcon 9, no one other than SpaceX has managed to get it working.

For Pony, if he succeeds, then investing in Lin Ran will have a natural legitimacy.

He personally enjoys astronomy, and investing in such companies is the greatest response to the country's call. Moreover, Lin Ran is also from Guangdong Province.

Pony's attitude has changed even in his way of addressing him, from "Professor Lin" at the beginning to "Student Lin" now, and his tone has become more expectant of the younger generation.

As they were walking around on the first floor wearing helmets and looking around, an Apollo Space staff member came over and whispered a few words in Lin Ran's ear.

Lin Ran turned to Pony and asked, "Pony, a content creator from Bilibili wants to come over for a brief interview. Would it be convenient for you to appear on camera?"

Pony thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Let them come over."

When Bi Dao and Tim learned that they could go, they couldn't hide their excitement.

That's all traffic!

Live traffic.

Lin Ran himself is the focus of public opinion.

If this launch is successful, he will be China's Elon Musk, the top figure in private aerospace, and with the added halo of a Fields Medal, he will be a true rising star of Chinese science and technology.

And Pony is an even more established celebrity.

Pony's online presence is not as strong as Lei Zi's because Lei Zi is aggressively marketing himself, having accounts on Weibo and Douyin and consistently producing videos.

Pony's popularity is entirely due to netizens spontaneously creating memes.

The difference in popularity lies in whether or not both parties are actively managing their projects. If Pony were to manage his projects as well, his popularity wouldn't be any less than Lei Zi's.

Of course, black and red are still red.

"Mr. Ma, Mr. Lin, hello both of you, I am..."

After Tim and Bi introduced themselves, Tim asked first, "Mr. Ma, what I'm most curious about is whether you are Mr. Lin's investor?"

Pony pointed to the Tencent app icon on the rocket and said, "I invested a little, so our icon is printed on Burning One."

Then, regarding the collaboration with Bilibili, we also voted in favor.

Tim then asked, "Mr. Ma, we all know that Apollo Technology's goal is to land on the moon. Do you think Mr. Lin can achieve this goal?"

Pony smiled and said, "I'm optimistic, of course I'm optimistic, how could I not be optimistic?"

I told Mr. Lin that even if I gave him another $1.2 million, he wouldn't accept it.

Lin Sheng is the most confident young entrepreneur I've ever met.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. If someone else had proven the twin prime conjecture and Goldbach's conjecture at the age of 23, they would have been even more confident than him.

I have high hopes for Lin Sheng; he's high-profile in his work but low-profile in his personal life.

Tim continued, "Mr. Lin, what are your plans for the moon landing? Do you intend to complete it within five or ten years?"

Lin Ran shook his head: "If all goes well, we will go up to the moon by the end of this year. Current technology is advanced enough that we can complete the moon landing in a year."

Upon hearing the statement that they would land on the moon within a year, Pony, Bi, and Tim all showed a hint of shock in their eyes.

This is an exaggeration.

"Really?" Director Bi couldn't help but ask.

Lin Ran nodded: "Of course it's true. We started the project last year, but my preparations began when I graduated from high school."

Lin Ran thought to himself, "In the 1960s, I prepared for it for a full seven years. No one knows more about the Apollo moon landing than me."

"We will use a year to land on the moon to tell the world that landing on the moon is not as difficult as people imagine, and that humanity will enter the space age faster than people think."

The reason we are still trapped on this small planet is, in a sense, a man-made conspiracy.

After the first day of the visit, Tim and Bi couldn't sleep at all because they had received so much explosive information. They had originally planned to edit a video together after the visit, but now their thoughts had changed. They wanted to edit the video and release it immediately.

They could easily have imagined the uproar that landing on the moon in a year would cause.

It's not just that the event itself sounds outrageous, but also because America has been calling for a return to the moon for so many years, and yet a Chinese private aerospace company accomplished it in just one and a half years.

What a massive upheaval this would cause!

They had already anticipated the sensational effect this would cause.

As they expected, Tim posted the video at 3 a.m. that night, while Bi posted it at 9:30 a.m.

The videos of the two and the trending topics related to Lin Ran's moon landing have spread across all the social media platforms you can see.

"A moon landing in one year? Did the 'Burning God' go crazy after getting the Fields Medal? Does he really think he's a god? Is he trying to rub the Chinese people's IQ into the ground, or is he planning to slap NASA's face repeatedly?!"

"Holy crap, that's so arrogant. Saying it to Pony's face, and Pony even invested money. If it doesn't work out by the end of the year, won't it be awkward when we meet again?"

"That's an exaggeration. Even Musk couldn't do a moon landing in a year."

"I lost my bet on the Fire God winning the Fields Medal before, and I'll definitely have to do a handstand to wash my hair in 2022. But this time I'm betting again! I really don't believe he can land on the moon by the end of this year. This time I bet I'll eat poop while doing a handstand!"

Xu Xian, who was at Yenching University, felt like he had been wronged out of nowhere. Lin Ran had made some outrageous remarks, and now he was the one who had to take responsibility.

Because of his previous answer on Zhihu, a large number of people are now flocking to him, saying they want to bet with him again. Originally, if it were just a bet about washing his hair upside down, he would accept it, but now these people want to bet big, like eating poop, which he really doesn't dare to bet.

Moreover, Lin Ran's chances of winning are extremely slim.

There's even a lot of discussion about it on Twitter.

This was largely due to Musk retweeting the news with a laughing emoji.

The discussions on the internet did not affect the launch of Burning One, which proceeded according to the established plan.

At the launch site, the second-stage rocket stood on the launch pad, its metallic sheen reflecting the sunlight.

Staff were busy conducting final checks around the area.

Inside the control center, a large screen displays the rocket's real-time status and countdown.

Lin Ran and Pony sat in front of the control panel, quickly browsing the system data, while the engineers kept a close eye on the parameters of the propulsion system to ensure that everything was normal.

Pony was able to watch the launch from a viewing platform specially prepared for the media and guests.

After all, Bilibili was broadcasting the entire event live, and both Bilibili and Shenhai State-owned Assets sent representatives.

When Lin Ran suggested that he could choose to use the console, Pony chose the console almost without hesitation, since he had never viewed anything in the console before.

Lin Ran asked, "Engineer Zhang, how did the final system check go?"

Engineer Zhang replied, "All systems are on green, propellant loading is complete, and engine precooling is normal."

The other engineers replied, "Control center, all departments report status!"

"The propulsion system is functioning normally, and the pressure is stable."

"The media area and live broadcast signal are in place and ready to begin at any time."

Lin Ran said, "Okay, let's get started. The data is fine, the design is fine, everyone relax."

Pony asked, "Are you nervous? To be honest, I feel that's the nervousness in space exploration. A rocket launch costs a hundred million, and if it fails, a hundred million is gone."

My heart started racing.

Lin Ran smiled and said, "Of course not. Being nervous is a sign of insecurity."

Pony chuckled, "Mr. Lin, you still have a youthful and impetuous side in this regard."

Lin Ran thought to himself, "It's not that I'm young and impetuous, it's that I've never actually failed."

As the countdown entered its final 10 minutes, the atmosphere in the control center became tense and unusually quiet, with only the sounds of breathing and machinery.

Lin Ran stood in front of the command platform, his voice steady: "T-10 minutes, initiate the automatic launch procedure."

On the large screen, heat waves surged below the rocket's nozzle as staff evacuated the launch area.

Lin Ran's gaze was fixed on the engine parameters, while Zhang Gong repeatedly checked the pressure curve of the propulsion system.

"T-5 minutes, each system will be reviewed."

"Propellant temperature is normal, thrust is ready."

"The attitude control system is stable, and the trajectory preset is complete."

"T-0!" Lin Ran decisively gave the order: "Ignition!"

The rocket spewed out dazzling flames from its base, and a tremendous roar shook the entire launch site.

The rocket slowly left the launch pad, passed through the launch tower, and accelerated into the sky.

The large screen in the control center displays the rocket's real-time altitude and speed.

"Rocket launch, attitude normal!"

"The engine thrust is stable and the temperature is within a safe range."

Lin Ran glanced at the screen: "The trajectory deviation is less than 0.01 degrees. Everything is proceeding as planned."

The trajectory curve on the screen was exactly the same as expected.

With an engineer explaining the process, Pony knew that the launch went smoothly.

His lips unconsciously curled up: "Lin Sheng, the first step has been successful. Now let's see how the separation goes."

The rocket has reached its designated altitude, and the first stage fuel is about to run out.

Lin Ran calmly issued the order: "Prepare for inter-stage separation."

With a slight vibration, the first and second stages successfully separated.

The second-stage engine then ignited, continuing to propel the rocket toward its target orbit.

"Interstage separation successful, second-stage ignition normal."

"The second-stage propulsion system is operating well, and the thrust output is stable."

Lin Ran said, "The trajectory fine-tuning is complete, and we have entered the predetermined orbit."

Lin Ran then explained to Pony, "Separation is the most dangerous step in the whole process, and many rockets fail at this step."

Pony clapped and said, "Mr. Lin, your team's efforts have paid off."

The rocket entered low Earth orbit, and the second stage prepared to release the payload.

Lin Ran ordered: "Prepare for payload separation."

A few seconds later, the payload successfully detached from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. The orbital parameters displayed on the large screen were exactly as expected.

"Payment separation successful, orbital parameters normal!" Lin Ran's voice rang out in the control room: "Mission accomplished, we succeeded!"

The control center erupted in enthusiastic applause, with Apollo Technology staff clapping enthusiastically.

For everyone involved, succeeding in this step means achieving real success.

I can write a note on my resume that I participated in the research and development of Burning-1, the first medium-sized rocket independently developed by a private enterprise in China, which was successfully developed in six months.

This resume would be enough to land a good job offer at any private aerospace company.

Many of them were recruited by Apollo Technology; many were laid off or unemployed and came here.

This resume is the key to turning things around.

Of course, given the potential shown by Apollo Technology and the abilities demonstrated by Lin Ran, it would be best if he could stay at Apollo Technology.

After completing the task, Lin Ran accepted an interview with Bilibili's official account. Facing the camera, he said:
"Today, we successfully sent an 8-ton payload into low Earth orbit."

This is a major breakthrough for China's private aerospace industry. We thank the team for their hard work and everyone who has supported us.

In just six months, outsiders might see this as a miracle, but I know very well that this is just the beginning for us.

The professor's life has never been a failure.

Lin Ran held up one finger and waved it in front of the camera.

The live stream chat room for Apollo Spaceflight on Bilibili exploded with over 100,000 viewers.

"66666"

The barrage of comments with the number 6 kept going on and on.

(End of this chapter)