You promised to build cars, so why did you go into the military industry?

August 24, 2013 is a good day for travel.

Originally, Lin Yu thought he might get excited and have trouble sleeping.

Unexpectedly, he slept exceptionally well on the last night before the launch.

At five o'clock in the morning, the sky was just beginning to lighten, and the launch tower was brightly lit by lights.

Li Ran, who had tossed and turned all night without sleeping, stood in front of the launch tower, yawning, and looked at the United One.

The United One, which was being refueled, was surrounded by wisps of white mist.

A moment later, Lin Yu's figure came into Li Ran's sight.

Their eyes met; Lin Yu's expression was calm, and his steps were firm.

However, as the launch officially entered the countdown phase, Lin Yu needed to hurry up and make arrangements, so he did not exchange pleasantries with Li Ran.

Lin Yu nodded to Li Ran, then quickly left for the testing hall.

After a while, the sun came out, the temperature began to rise, and the white mist surrounding United One began to grow larger.

The white mist appeared and disappeared intermittently, obstructed by the rotating platform.

Li Ran stood up from the ground, patted the dust off his pants, and prepared to go to the cafeteria to get something to eat.

At 8:30 a.m., there were about two hours left before launch.

After eating a few meat buns, Li Ran appeared in the hair testing hall, preparing to head to a place that held special significance for him.

This is the corner where Li Ran, Lin Yu, and Gao Jingming watched the Chang'e-2 launch last time.

And almost everyone at United Industries, except for those who needed to participate in rocket launch work, was crammed into this corner.

Perhaps because this launch mission was not one of the more serious ones in the past, the atmosphere in the launch test hall was not particularly tense or dull.

As Li Ran passed by, he could hear the staff members complaining among themselves.

"...The load test wasn't on a concrete block, it was actually a car!"

"That's not all! There were even several hands welded inside..."

"...Fine..."

"...Hopefully, this rocket won't explode on the launch pad..."

"...If it can't be repaired in a year, subsequent manned space missions will definitely be delayed..."

"...Isn't the area not open yet? Which department does this Joint Industry go through...?"

"..."

Before they even reached the corner, Gao Jingming's voice reached their ears. He was boasting to everyone about his experience of watching the launch of Chang'e here.

At 8:34 a.m., the command "The rocket's trajectory is exquisite" rang out in the launch test hall.

The previously noisy hall fell silent instantly, Gao Jingming stopped boasting to everyone, and a tense atmosphere began to permeate the room.

The staff carried out their duties in an orderly manner according to the commands.

Serious, professional, and efficient.

Most of the employees at United Industries were experiencing this tense atmosphere firsthand for the first time, and they couldn't help but feel nervous.

At 9:34 a.m., the order was officially issued: "Open the first set of rotating platforms, power on the rocket systems, and conduct pre-launch functional checks."

As the command was given, the first set of rotating platforms slowly opened, and the first stage of the rocket appeared on the big screen, revealing the huge nozzle of the engine 'ZK-131'.

Soon, the second rotating platform opened, revealing the connection between the first and second stage rocket bodies.

At 10:04 a.m., 30 minutes before launch, the No. 0 commander in the launch test hall took over command and began issuing instructions.

"The third rotating platform is deployed, the propellant tanks are pressurized, and cryogenic propellant is added."

Subsequently, the instructions from the testing and launch center became increasingly frequent.

"The gas connector and filling connector are disconnected."

"..."

"The connection plugs for the telemetry system and external measurement system have come loose."

"..."

"The cable connector has come loose; the arrow is powered by a battery."

"..."

"30 seconds countdown, tracking and monitoring stations in various locations are activated."

"20 seconds to go, rocket tracking and control system activated."

"Countdown: 10, 9, 8, ..., 3, 2, 1, Ignition!"

At 10:34:05 a.m., with the ignition command issued, the image on the big screen switched from a distant view of the rocket to a close-up view of the engine.

Approximately 3 seconds later, under the action of the auto-ignition agent, the rocket engine nozzle emitted a transparent blue flame.

However, those three seconds felt long and agonizing for the group of people huddled in the corner watching the spectacle.

Especially for civilian staff like Xue Mingyu and Zhao Shuhang who didn't know much about the technology, they didn't see any flames after the first ignition command was given, so they subconsciously thought the rocket was going to explode. Some even started to lie down and look for cover.

They only felt slightly relieved when the transparent blue flames appeared on the screen simultaneously with the second "ignite" command.

With the first command "Take off!" issued, the throttle valve opened rapidly.

The transparent blue flame rapidly expanded and shot straight into the guide channel. The moment it came into contact with the dense waterfall of water generated by the spray cooler, it generated a white, opaque water mist tens of meters high, covering the rocket.

At the same time, in less than a second, with the rapid opening of the throttle valve, the total thrust generated by the three 'ZK-131' and one 'ZK-33' rockets exceeded the rocket's own weight. The moment the rocket separated from the launch pad, the second 'takeoff' command sounded, and the rocket began to ascend.

Only when the rocket's tip broke through the water mist and, carrying its massive body, flew faster and faster into the sky, did the people huddled in the corner finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"It didn't explode on the launch tower!" Xue Mingyu patted his chest and breathed a sigh of relief.

2013年8月24日，上午10点34分09秒，联合一号顺利起飞。

The roar of the rocket engine filled the air, drowning out the voice of Commander Zero, but the staff on site continued to carry out their tasks in an orderly manner according to the established plan.

At 154 seconds into the flight, the three ZK-33 engines of the second-stage rocket successfully ignited, and the first-stage main engine shut down.

The flight lasted 155 seconds before the first and second stages separated.

After 190 seconds of flight, the fairing was jettisoned, and at an altitude of 110 km above the ground, the new Lingyun SU7 presented itself to the world in a vertically upward posture.

Flight time 433 seconds, Level 2 shutdown.

The spacecraft separated from the rocket after 500 seconds of flight.

The successful separation of the star and rocket signifies that the mission of Joint One has temporarily come to an end.

This also means that the rocket itself has completed its launch mission.

The people at United Industries were already cheering and celebrating, because the most important thing about this launch mission was to verify the rocket's performance.

As for the Lingyun SU7 that was sent up?

As long as it's sent up and doesn't immediately fall and crash, it's fine.

It would be even more profitable if we could shoot more videos and send them back to the ground.

As for whether the track height and the vehicle speed are compatible, staff will monitor and summarize the data.

The staff in the launch control hall were all aware of the nature of this launch, so they relaxed, except for the staff who needed to monitor the orbital altitude of the Lingyun SU7 at all times.

After all, if any accident causes the vehicle's trajectory to change or disintegrate, generating a large amount of space debris, they will need to issue a danger warning to their international counterparts.

Soon, the launch control center confirmed that the Lingyun SU7 track altitude was normal.

At this point, the flight phase of the Joint One mission has been completed.

A festive red screen appeared before everyone, and the launch center director's tone was full of joy and relaxation:

"According to the notification from the Space Flight Control Center, the Joint-1 Y1 carrier rocket is flying normally and the Lingyun probe has accurately entered its predetermined orbit."

Now, let's congratulate United Industries on the complete success of their rocket launch!