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

Chapter 80 Elon, Do You Love America?

On June 23, a new Long March 6 rocket was once again erected at the launch pad of the Qilianshan Satellite Launch Center.

As the morning light shone down from the eastern mountain ridge, the white rocket body was gilded with a pale gold, and the four solid rocket boosters were symmetrically mounted on both sides of the core stage.

Over the past month, Lin Yu's team and CNSA engineers have thoroughly investigated and resolved all the issues exposed during the initial testing.

Some solutions are not perfect, but they are perfectly adequate for the current working conditions.

For example, more than a dozen new tracking and control stations at different heights have been added around the recovery area. Signal receiving antennas have been installed on each level, from the bottom of the valley to the sides of the mountain, covering all possible signal blind spots during the rocket's descent.

The number of sensors on the rocket body has doubled compared to the previous one, and redundant backups have been added to key positions. At least two independent sensors collect the same attitude parameter simultaneously.

In response to the previous issue of low-frequency resonance causing sensor damage, the team adjusted the stiffness of the sensor mount and the material formula of the vibration damping pad. They also added a new filtering algorithm to the flight control software, specifically designed to identify and filter out distorted data in the resonant frequency band.

"We reproduced the resonance problem from last time on the vibration table later."

At the technical briefing the day before launch, Lin Yu explained the spectrum diagram on the projection screen.

"The resonant frequency is around 43Hz, which matches the natural frequency of the arrow body structure."

This time, we moved the natural frequency of the sensor mount up by 20Hz to avoid the resonance window.

Lu Chaoping listened from the back of the conference room, nodded, and said nothing.

After the meeting, he approached Lin Yu privately and asked, "The backup sensor isn't installed on the same structural board as the main sensor, is it?"

"It's not there. It's divided into two boards with a reinforcing rib in between," Lin Yu replied quickly.

Lu Chaoping patted him on the shoulder, turned around and left.

When used as a disposable item, the Long March 6 core stage is equipped with four two-section solid rocket boosters with a diameter of two meters and a thrust of 120 tons each, and its carrying capacity to a 700-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit is no less than 4 tons.

As a reusable version, the rocket body has been enhanced with a recovery system that includes three landing legs, a large-area thermal protection layer, and grid fins, reducing the payload capacity to a 700-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit to no less than 2.3 tons.

The loss of nearly half of the capacity is indeed heartbreaking, but as long as the core chips can be recovered and reused intact, the cost can be justified.

The manufacturing cost of a single core stage accounts for more than 60% of the total cost of the rocket. Taking it back, refurbishing it, and then flying it again is much cheaper than building a new one.

On the morning of the launch, Lin Yu conducted a final check on the rocket's condition in the test facility.

The engineer in charge of the rocket assembly followed behind him, holding a process confirmation form in his hand. He hesitated for a while before speaking: "Manager Lin, this is the second to last one in stock."

If another problem arises, there will only be one backup arrow left, and all subsequent scheduled commercial orders will have to be postponed.

"The launch window for those university projects we previously promised should be no later than mid-August."

Lin Yu took the confirmation form and signed his name in the last column, his handwriting somewhat messy.

He handed the watch back, his tone calm: "Don't worry, we'll definitely come back safe and sound this time."

At 2:37 PM, the Long March 6-1 rocket successfully ignited and took off.

With all four solid rocket boosters working simultaneously, the rocket body rose from the ground almost immediately after landing on the launch tower.

In the video footage, the rocket shot straight into the sky, then changed course and soon shrank into a tiny dot on the horizon.

Approximately 120 seconds later, the booster fuel ran out, and the four solid rocket boosters separated simultaneously, forming a Korolev Cross in the air and tracing four arcs as they fell toward the designated unmanned landing zone.

Immediately following the separation of the first and second stages, the first stage return procedure was initiated, the grid fins unfolded from their folded state, and the rocket body began to adjust its attitude in the thin atmosphere.

The second and third stages separated in about 200 seconds.

In approximately 230 seconds, the core stage rocket, under the coordinated control of the grid fins and engine, traversed the entire reentry phase, finally hovering over the landing site for two seconds before all three landing legs simultaneously touched down and locked in place.

The arrow swayed slightly twice before coming to a stop, and the residual heat from its tail flame created a faint wisp of steam on the ground.

A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted in the testing hall.

Several young engineers sitting in the first row stood up and grabbed each other's arms, shaking them vigorously.

But soon, everyone tacitly composed themselves and turned their attention back to their respective screens.

The rocket's launch mission is not yet complete; the upper stage, carrying a two-ton scientific research satellite, continues its ascent.

Approximately 1500 seconds later, the satellite successfully entered a 700-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit.

The separation of the satellite and rocket was completed, all orbital parameters met the requirements, and the orbital inclination error was less than 0.03°.

The launch mission and the recovery mission have now been successfully completed.

The emotions that had been suppressed in the hall for more than twenty minutes were finally released. Applause and cheers mingled together. Someone took off their headphones and gently tossed them on the table, then leaned back in their chair and let out a long sigh.

It was already evening when the first-stage rocket body was transported back to the final assembly plant by the transfer vehicle.

The setting sun slanted in through the factory gate, casting its light on the marks left by the intense reentry temperatures on the rocket's surface, making them look like medals.

Lin Yu stood at the workshop entrance watching the transfer vehicle enter the warehouse, and suddenly sighed, "Fortunately, the first-stage rocket body recovered this time did not use nitrogen tetroxide and unsymmetrical dimethyl."

If it's the same as stage three and it's still poisoning, the entire propellant pipeline will have to be thoroughly cleaned after the rocket returns.

It's not just a matter of cost; the passivation process for the pipes alone takes several days.

With the assistance of hoisting equipment, several engineers completed the flaw detection of the main structure of the rocket body as quickly as possible.

When the flaw detection report was delivered to Lü Chaoping, the chief designer, who had spent his entire life working with rockets, noticeably slowed down his page-turning.

He carefully read through each page, occasionally tapping a number with his finger as if checking something.

When he turned to the last page, his finger stopped on the bright red test result stamp and lingered for several seconds.

"qualified."

"Good! Good! Good! It's a success!"

Lu Chaoping held up the report and waved it around, his voice laced with barely suppressed laughter, his eyes crinkling into a deep frown.

At 15:28 PM, the news broadcast reported this news and showed the entire process from launch to recovery.

Without editing or fast-forwarding, the time stamps for every key moment of the rocket's launch and landing on the landing site are clearly displayed in the lower right corner of the screen.

About an hour later, at 1:43 a.m. local time in California, Elon M was woken up by his cell phone while he was fast asleep.

The phone screen on the bedside table lit up, and the buzzing sound of the vibration was particularly jarring in the quiet bedroom.

The number of people who can make a call to this phone during this time period can be counted on two hands.

Elon M suppressed his annoyance at being woken up, picked up his phone and glanced at the caller ID; his drowsiness vanished instantly.

He pressed the answer button, sat up, and turned on the bedside lamp.

"Elon, it's me, Derry Kerman."

The voice of NASA's current administrator came through the receiver, his tone no different from when he was in a meeting.

There was no small talk, nor any apology for the inappropriate timing.

But the fact that he personally made the call at 1:30 a.m. already says a lot.

"Chief, it's so late, what happened?" Elon M propped up his pillow behind his back and sat up against the headboard.

"An hour ago, the National Space Agency across the ocean officially mastered rocket recovery technology." Derek Kerman's tone was calm and without any fluctuation.

He paused after saying that, seemingly waiting for Elon M's reaction.

"Believe me, Director. I have not sold them any rocket recovery technology," Elon M replied quickly.

Once he regained his senses, his mind worked quickly, and he immediately deduced the subtext of the other party's phone call.

"It should be the technical support provided by United Industries. They have always had a close relationship with the national space agency across the ocean; last year's space station module was a joint project between the two companies."

"Of course, of course I know it's them." Derrickman paused for a moment.

A soft sigh came from the other end of the phone, like someone smoking, or perhaps just a simple exhale: "So, Elon, do you love America?"

The phone went silent at both ends.

Elon M didn't respond to that sentence, but his silence itself was an attitude.

Derry Kerman didn't wait for his reply; a few seconds later, the call ended with a notification tone in the quiet bedroom.

After daybreak, a subpoena for a congressional hearing was delivered to SpaceX headquarters.