Back in 1978, I was admitted to Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Chapter 360 BeiDou Network Completed, What About GPS?

At the same time, in the United States, at MIT.

"Professor Yang, it's been a long time since you went to the East to look for your daughter and wife, hasn't it?"

Yang Tian looked at the person sitting opposite him, his face showing displeasure: "Mr. Casey, I think this is my family matter, what business is it of yours?"

“Of course it’s alright, I was just showing my concern. MIT and the East have many collaborative projects, but none of them have yielded any results yet. If this continues, I think MIT’s funding should be cut,” William Casey said calmly.

Yang Tian frowned: "What exactly are you trying to say?"

“Recently, Northwestern Polytechnical University has been in contact with the Soviets. This is a very wrong step for them, and it may even threaten your current status and position. Therefore, I think you should persuade your son-in-law that this will not benefit either of us.”

Yang Tian's face grew even darker: "What they do is their business. As for me personally, I've always been very dedicated to my work, and I haven't done anything to betray the United States. If you're trying to use a conspiracy to make me resign..."

"No, no, of course we wouldn't do that. We just want you to go to the East to see your family. You don't need to deliberately inquire about any intelligence, after all, you're not a CIA employee. You just need to tell us what you see and hear..."

"Isn't this asking me to be a spy? I won't do it!"

"This isn't espionage. I've made myself perfectly clear, Professor Yang. Your daughter's Pacific Trading Company has a large amount of business in Europe and the United States, and the CIA strongly supports it. We've always believed that mutual assistance is the right way to cooperate..."

This is using his daughter to threaten him!
Yang Tian's face was terribly dark, and his hands were clenched into fists, but after a few seconds, he still gave in.

"Alright, then I'll make a trip to the East. However, I won't be gathering intelligence for you! If you go too far, the entire academic community will not let you off the hook!"

Yang Tian is no ordinary professor; he's the dean of MIT! He's entered the highest circles of American academia and knows many people. If his daughter is threatened by the CIA, what about the children of other people in academia? Will they face the same problem?

The CIA is breaking the rules by doing this!

"Yes, of course we won't do anything reckless. We still have great respect for you."

East.

The Xichang Satellite Launch Center successfully launched a Beidou satellite for the first time using a Long March 3 rocket. The news excited the whole country, as it means that China can finally launch geostationary satellites, marking another breakthrough!
Three days later, the second Beidou satellite was also launched into space. After the two satellites entered orbit, they began intensive testing and then network formation...

After the successful launch of the second satellite, Qin Liang returned to Northwestern Polytechnical University and quickly established a new company.

On the campus of Northwestern Polytechnical University, there is a brand-new three-story building with a large sign hanging at the entrance: Northwestern Polytechnical University Beidou Company.

Amidst the crackling of firecrackers, the company was officially established.

"Teachers, students, distinguished guests and friends, our Northwestern Polytechnical University Beidou Company is officially established today. We will dedicate ourselves to the global satellite navigation industry and provide users with free satellite positioning services..." President Luo delivered a passionate speech from the steps at the entrance of the building.

"Beidou Company, jointly composed of the Department of Aerospace Engineering and the Department of Electronic Engineering, provides services such as satellite monitoring and data processing, as well as various satellite receiver terminals, including portable, vehicle-mounted, and airborne ones. With it, the world's science and technology will once again reach a new level!"

The first generation of Beidou requires ground-based computing. Since this satellite was developed by Northwestern Polytechnical University, the ground computing service is naturally also provided by Northwestern Polytechnical University. On the roof of this small building, there are two large dish-like antennas, which are used for communication with the satellite.

In fact, even without ground-based calculations, Galileo and GPS still have ground control stations to precisely measure and control the orbit of each satellite, thus improving the accuracy of navigation and positioning.

Later, Europeans argued amongst themselves, which led to chaos at ground control stations and the complete failure of satellite positioning.

Besides providing services, another key focus is on providing products. Satellite terminals will definitely be an important source of profit for Northwestern Polytechnical University in the future. Domestically, they will be sold directly through computer sales channels, while overseas, they will be sold through game console sales channels, since they are all electronic products.

Now that BeiDou is developing, it can seize the market, and the Americans' GPS will be marginalized! I wonder if they're worried about that!
"Now, please invite Comrade Qin Liang to come up and say a few words to us!"

Qin Liang was taken aback. What did I say? I'm just a first-year graduate student!

Forced onto the stage, Qin Liang looked down and then... at the back of the crowd, he spotted a familiar figure and was immediately stunned.

"dad?"

The voice, amplified through the loudspeaker, reached everyone's ears. Everyone was stunned. "Liangzi, what are you doing? Why are you calling me 'Dad' right off the bat?"

and many more!

Everyone realized what was happening and looked in the direction Qin Liang was looking. Sure enough, the dean of MIT had arrived!
President Luo walked over and said, "Mr. Yang, welcome to Northwestern Polytechnical University! Why didn't you let us know in advance? Come on in and have a seat!"

Guests from the United States were welcomed into the newly established Beidou company's conference room.

Yang Tian exclaimed with deep emotion, "I never imagined that Northwestern Polytechnical University would develop a global positioning system! And with so little money..."

"It can't be called global positioning. We use geostationary satellites, which don't have a signal in high-latitude areas."

This is also a drawback of geostationary satellites. When the latitude exceeds 81 degrees north or south, the curvature of the Earth will block the satellite signal, and there will be no signal at the North and South Poles.

However, most areas of human activity are in the tropics and temperate zones, and there are almost no people in the frigid zones, so it's not a big deal that they are not covered.

Looking at the modest Qin Liang, Yang Tian continued, "Right now, the United States is also developing a global satellite positioning system, which is expected to cost more than 10 billion US dollars. Our Northwestern Polytechnical University solved it with only two or three hundred million US dollars. No wonder the United States is in a hurry..."

Yang Tian stopped abruptly, realizing he had let something slip.

Qin Liang was taken aback at first, then he guessed what was going on.

"Dad, did the Americans threaten you?"

Yang Tian quickly waved his hand: "No, no."

"So that's a threat to Duoduo?"

Yang Tian was stunned for a moment.

"Dad, then tell me, what do the Americans want to know? I can tell you."

“That won’t do, Liangzi. Many of the projects your Northwestern Polytechnical University is working on are classified. If you tell me, and the US finds out, it’s not just a commercial leak; it will affect national defense security…”

"What secrets, what national defense security, none of that can compare to Duoduo's safety," Qin Liang said. "Actually, even if the Americans came to ask in person, I would still tell them. Northwestern Polytechnical University does things openly and honestly, there's nothing we can't say. It's just that Northwestern Polytechnical University helped the Diamond Design Bureau improve the S-300 missile system."

Principal Luo stood to the side, his expression complex.

There are no secrets in this world. The Americans will definitely find out about our cooperation with the Russians. Right now, Qin Liang has only mentioned the lowest level of cooperation, and he hasn't talked about the important cooperation. This is a mix of true and false information.

And this true news will be verified, and the Americans will believe it.

As for the cooperative improvement of the S-300 system, there's no need to hide it. After all, it's just a long-range area air defense missile project, a defensive weapon. If the outside world knows about it, it will showcase Northwestern Polytechnical University's advanced technology, and perhaps they can sell more products in the future!
Given Principal Luo's experience, this was all he could think of; he was unaware of Qin Liang's other contingency plans. Once the Americans found out, the Russians should investigate: who leaked the information?
Then, they would target the Antey Design Bureau, since they were competitors. Did they think this would ruin the Diamond Design Bureau's project? This would only provoke the resentment of many bigwigs, and the Antey Design Bureau would decline. Later, when the Soviet Union collapsed, many people at the Antey Design Bureau would go out of work.

At that time, all those experienced engineers can come and work in the factory run by Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Of course, Qin Liang did not expect that the news was actually leaked by the Antai Design Bureau. Their purpose was to sabotage the cooperation between the Diamond Design Bureau and the East!

"For us, these are all customers. It's normal for the Russians to ask us to solve their technical problems, and the Americans can also ask us to help them solve their technical problems! Whether it's Patriot or Aegis, problems with electronic systems can all be solved by us. It's just business, nothing more."

Yang Tian took a deep breath: "Liangzi, can I relay all of your words to the US government?"

"Of course." Qin Liang nodded. "We in the East don't have a Cold War mentality. We are willing to be friends with all countries in the world, including the West and the Soviet Union. For us, making money is the top priority, and they should understand that. Of course, we also have our bottom line. We will not cooperate with any key projects involving national defense and security. We understand the principle of raising a tiger to cause trouble."

Yang Tian nodded: "Yes, I will relay these words back. Next..."

"Next, let's talk about further cooperation. Princeton University has also decided to cooperate with us. We, as globally renowned universities, should unite to contribute to the advancement of science and technology worldwide! MIT is an old friend of ours, so of course we can't leave them out."

Yang Tian immediately perked up: "Great! Liangzi, tell me, how do we plan to cooperate next?"

"How about we start a new track: humanoid robots?"

MIT's mechanical engineering is a traditional strength, ranking first in the world. However, it has not yet made a name for itself in the field of humanoid robots. Northwestern Polytechnical University, on the other hand, does not have this research direction. The strong alliance between the two can create a new high-end industry!
Yang Tian frowned: "What can a humanoid robot do?"

"In the industrial manufacturing sector, manual laborers can use it to reduce the risk of occupational injuries in hazardous production workshops, as well as in situations such as earthquakes and fires, and space exploration, etc..."

Yang Tian's eyes widened: "This is not something an ordinary humanoid robot can do. This... this technology simply doesn't exist right now!"

"It's precisely because we don't have it that we need to do research! Northwestern Polytechnical University and MIT are a powerful alliance, and our research must be something that will amaze the world!"

Yang Tian nodded.

The White House, America.

"What were those idiots at Princeton thinking, trying to expand BeiDou navigation globally? How can our GPS monopolize the market then?" Kasper Weinberg said angrily.

GPS was intended for the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force, so this project was not led by the Air Force but by the Department of Defense. Now, suddenly, the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System has emerged in the East. If it were just regional navigation, that would be one thing. But now, those old guys at Princeton University are lobbying relevant domestic departments, trying to promote the use of BeiDou in the Western world as well.

What are these guys thinking? What do they mean by opposing armed space? Do they think that BeiDou, a satellite navigation system developed in the East, can't be used for military purposes?
“Yes, we must put pressure on Princeton University.” Alexander Haig frowned as well. “Currently, there are signs that the East is gradually becoming closer to the Soviet Union, which is very disadvantageous for us. At this time, we must find a way to nip this movement in the bud…”

Nixon's visit to China normalized relations between the two countries. Afterwards, the Americans went to great lengths to bring the East onto their chariot. Their efforts in the first few years were very successful, but recently, the winds have slowly shifted.

When is this crucial point? Was it the war that took place in the South Atlantic? The East sells weapons to the "crying country," and Russia also sells weapons to the "crying country." Shouldn't they be competitors?

The question of whether to directly send troops to the weeping country was already giving them a headache, and now, seeing signs of the East befriending the Soviet Union, they are even more anxious.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, we have just received the latest intelligence!" At this moment, William Casey finally walked in: "The cooperation between Northwestern Polytechnical University and the Soviets is only to help improve the S-300 system, and does not involve any deeper cooperation."

The information leaked by the Antai Design Bureau also confirmed this, and it has also been verified from the East. It seems that this is all there is to the cooperation between the two sides!

"Really? It seems things aren't completely hopeless yet. The Soviet Union's anti-missile system shouldn't have been handed over to the East for upgrades. It seems we were overthinking it." Ronald also breathed a sigh of relief: "Next, let's discuss how to deal with the threat from the East's BeiDou navigation system."

William Casey began, "I don't think we can use a hardline approach to stop the development of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System."

"why?"

"On the one hand, it is easy to push Easterners to the side of the Russians. Ladies and gentlemen, recently we have always felt uneasy. Easterners and the Russians are getting closer and closer. What they need is appeasement, not suppression. Easterners have never been afraid of suppression, it will only arouse their resentment."

William Casey offered his assessment: "On the other hand, how advanced can Eastern technology be? This BeiDou navigation system is lucky to achieve positioning accuracy within a hundred meters; it's nowhere near as good as our GPS. Once they successfully complete their network, our GPS will also enter a period of rapid network construction before opening up civilian signals. At that point, BeiDou navigation will become a joke..."

To date, the positioning accuracy of this Eastern system remains a mystery. The Americans are still stuck in their old ways of thinking, believing that an accuracy of 100 meters is already very high.

This deduction is consistent with the actual situation. The first generation of Beidou in the East had such high positioning accuracy. However, they did not know that with Qin Liang's existence and the powerful scientific research and production complex of Northwestern Polytechnical University, things would be different!

"Should our GPS also be made available for civilian use?" Ronald frowned.

"Yes, we must open up. We also need to send a goodwill signal and tell taxpayers that their money has not been wasted!"

"But if such a high-precision navigation system is expanded globally, wouldn't that allow many potential adversaries to also enjoy high-precision navigation?"

"Of course not. We will incorporate pseudo-code, which will reduce the civilian precision by an order of magnitude. However, even so, it will still be more precise than the Eastern version..."

Ronald listened carefully and finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay, that's settled then. Our American technology will always be the most advanced in the world! Next, let's discuss how to counterbalance the crying country!"

Intelsat Corporation.

"Teacher, what brings you here?" Engineer Abraham asked curiously.

“Aberhunt, have you heard about the geostationary satellite that was recently launched from the East?” O’Neill went straight to the point.

"Yes, I heard. The two rockets were launched three days apart, and both successfully entered orbit. The US satellite tracking network also monitored them, and the orbital insertion accuracy was very high..."

"Moreover, the launch cost is also very low, only thirty million US dollars per launch. Our International Telecommunications Satellite Company can also entrust them with the launch of our satellites in the future."

"Well... our launch orders for the next three years are already booked!"

"There's no formal contract yet, but the orders you've signed with other companies must have been quite expensive for launches, right? Saving ten million dollars on a single launch, does your company have too much money to spend?"

"This... I'll report this to the company's board of directors."

"You've secured at least five launch orders for Eastern satellites!"

"teacher……"

"Don't worry, your teacher won't harm you. This suggestion of your teacher will also benefit your company. Five of them can save you fifty million US dollars, which is a huge sum of money! As for the strength of Eastern Aerospace, your teacher has seen it with his own eyes, and it is very strong, so you can rest assured!"

"Okay, I'll try my best. Teacher, when did you become an advocate for Easterners?"

"It's nothing. I just want our country to have access to free satellite navigation systems as soon as possible. I'm really looking forward to the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System from the East. Princeton University will also develop in-vehicle terminals based on the BeiDou system. In the future, satellite navigation systems will be widely used in our cars, so we won't get lost no matter where we go..."

(End of this chapter)