novelsite Chapter 621 Copycat
Chapter 621 Copycat
Chapter 621 Copycat
Hainan Island, Wenchang Space Launch Site.
Under the blue sky and white clouds, the launch tower, resembling a steel giant, stands tall, with the words "Ark-1" written in large red characters on the silver-white outer shell of the rocket.
Next to the font is a star ring encircling a simple spaceship design, which is the corporate logo of "Fangzhou Holdings"...
"Fuel filling complete!"
"The pressure data of the rocket propulsion system is stable."
"The navigation system is receiving signals well, and the positioning accuracy meets the requirements..."
Below the rocket, many technical staff are conducting final checks.
The crucial interior of the engine is filled with complex wiring and precision instruments, every detail showcasing the wisdom and power of human technology…
Meanwhile, inside the launch control center, various data and charts were flashing on the large screen.
The control center was filled with a somber atmosphere before the rocket launch. Apart from occasional hushed discussions, the only other sound was the soft tapping of the technicians' fingers on their keyboards.
Cao Guoliang, chief engineer of Fangzhou Corporation, was listening to the final pre-launch self-inspection report coming through his headset.
Looking at the rocket body standing quietly on the main screen, his eyes showed both the excitement before launch and a hint of barely perceptible tension.
After all, this was Ark Technologies' first commercial launch mission...
This also marks the first time in China that "reusable rocket technology" has been verified in a formal launch mission.
Moreover, the satellite launched was the first commercial satellite belonging to Shirayuki itself...
It is of great significance from any perspective!
In fact, even Cao Guoliang himself did not expect this day to come so soon.
As expected of a private enterprise, their action and execution capabilities are simply astounding.
Quick! That's the most profound impression the new company left on him!
Almost any request made by the technical department is approved by the company headquarters no later than the next day.
As long as they can move the project forward, they seem to care nothing about how much money it will cost, how many difficulties there are, or whether they can make a profit...
There is a boss who is both decisive and generous.
Working here is simply paradise for researchers like them.
In his previous workplace, it was not uncommon for a project to take one or two years from initiation to official launch.
Of course, this is also partly due to the fact that higher-level departments gave it the green light all the way.
The "Ark-1" was touted as being independently developed by them, but apart from the crucial flight control system, almost all other hardware was purchased from major aerospace systems in China.
Thanks to China's vast and mature aerospace industry system, everything from rocket bodies to a single screw and bearing is produced.
The China Aerospace Industrial Complex, which already possesses a complete industrial chain and mature technological system, is their best and perfect supplier.
However, aerospace products are not something you can just buy whenever you want.
This naturally requires the support and tacit approval from above.
It should be noted that China has been catching up rapidly in the field of "reusable rockets" in recent years.
Apart from the flight control system and engine, other related technological bottlenecks have been largely overcome in the past two years.
It can be said that everything is ready except for the final push.
Coincidentally, it happened almost immediately after the establishment of "Fangzhou Shares".
China has miraculously developed "reusable liquid oxygen combustion cycle technology," enabling domestic engine technology to advance by leaps and bounds.
Relying on its previous strong foundation, it quickly produced the first generation of "liquid oxygen and methane reusable rocket engine"!
In addition, there's the "online planning and guidance software" developed by Bai Yeji himself...
This "east wind" directly completed the last two pieces of the "reusable rocket" technology puzzle!
What are the right timing, the right location, and the right people?
Cao Guoliang had a feeling that "Fangzhou Shares" seemed to have been divinely aided from the very beginning.
We'll provide whatever's missing...
Compared to their struggling counterparts back home, they don't seem to be here to start a business through hardship; it's more like they're here to reap the rewards...
One can only sigh inwardly at how incredibly influential that young master Hu is, and how sharp his eye is at seizing business opportunities!
"By the way! Wasn't it said that President Hu would be here in person today? Where is he?"
With all self-test items normal, the official launch phase is about to begin.
Cao Guoliang glanced at his watch and turned to ask the deputy chief engineer beside him.
"Oh! I heard they went to the site, apparently to film some promotional videos beforehand."
"That's it..."
Cao Guoliang nodded in understanding.
Unlike his previous work primarily with government entities, catering to the market-oriented private sector requires attracting investment and clients, making promotion inevitable.
Look at Elon Musk. Besides being the CEO of SpaceX, he naturally generates buzz and attention.
A single tweet from him generates publicity through his idol status, equivalent to hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising revenue…
After thinking about it, he realized that he was an outsider and worried that the other party's promotion might be wrong or inaccurate, so he put down the headset.
"Okay, you keep an eye on it for now, I'll go take a look."
"Okay, Engineer Cao."
……
When Cao Guoliang arrived near the observation deck, he saw several people who looked like reporters carrying cameras and reflectors, using "Ark 1" as a backdrop and aiming them at a beautiful female host holding a microphone.
"Good afternoon, everyone. We are now at the Wenchang Space Launch Site."
Behind me is the "Fangzhou-1," a medium-sized liquid-propellant carrier rocket independently designed and developed by "Fangzhou Corporation," which is about to be launched today.
Its rocket body has a diameter of 3.35 meters, a total height of about 49.5 meters, a takeoff weight of 219 tons, and a takeoff thrust of about 368 tons!
The rocket adopts a two-stage configuration. Its first and second stage engines are both developed by the Sixth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, which is the first domestically produced reusable liquid oxygen and methane engine. Its comprehensive performance indicators are comparable to those of the "Raptor".
Compared to traditional engines, this engine not only has reusable characteristics, but also further reduces operating costs…
The beautiful female host was recording a commentary video with great enthusiasm. Cao Guoliang listened closely for a while and nodded with some satisfaction.
Technical information and various publicly available indicators have been effectively publicized.
Compared to the flight control system, which cannot be demonstrated on-site, the biggest selling point of this rocket is undoubtedly its new engine.
Depending on the type of fuel used, rockets can be classified into solid rockets and liquid rockets.
The current mainstream of space launches is liquid rockets, mainly consisting of three types: liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen, liquid oxygen/kerosene, and liquid oxygen/methane.
In the eyes of most professionals, liquid oxygen and methane undoubtedly have huge advantages that the other two fuels cannot match!
It is currently the most ideal propellant for reusable rockets, bar none!
Firstly, because the combustion products of liquid oxygen and methane are only water and carbon dioxide, it is environmentally friendly and also has a fairly good propulsion efficiency.
Its theoretical specific impulse is 355 seconds, which is lower than that of hydrogen-oxygen but higher than that of liquid oxygen-kerosene.
(Specific impulse: indicates how many seconds of thrust a rocket engine can generate by consuming 1 kilogram of fuel; it is the primary performance indicator of a rocket engine.)
Secondly, it produces less coking during combustion, resulting in cleaner pipelines after firing and no carbon buildup issues, making it ideal for recycling and reuse.
And then there's the price—it's cheap... extremely cheap!
Liquid oxygen methane has abundant raw materials and is easy to manufacture. It can even be obtained by purifying the natural gas that you burn every day at home. The cost per kilogram is only 5 yuan, which is 1% of the cost of liquid hydrogen and less than half the cost of kerosene. It can be described as "dirt cheap"!
Most importantly, methane is naturally present in celestial bodies throughout the universe. For example, on Mars, methane can be produced in large quantities directly from the local resources.
And Titan, Pluto...
For humanity on Earth, which is about to enter the next stage of deep space exploration, these are essentially free "gas stations".
With its cost-effectiveness, high efficiency, ease of maintenance, and abundant reserves, liquid oxygen methane is particularly suitable for large-scale reusable launches, naturally placing it at the forefront of today's commercial space industry!
Even SpaceX's ambitious next step, the "Starship Program," has chosen liquid oxygen and methane as fuel, and is reportedly currently conducting related research and development.
From this perspective, they have at least taken a small step ahead!
After listening for a while, Cao Guoliang finally remembered why he had come, but after searching around, he couldn't find Hu Yifei anywhere.
After asking around, they finally found Hu Yifei in a well-fitting blue suit, looking down at his phone, in a temporary rest area not far away.
Beside him, a woman with long, wavy hair was gently fixing his hair and clothes, seemingly preparing him for the photoshoot.
However, Hu Yifei seemed very focused, letting the woman fiddle with him while he kept staring at the phone in his hand.
Cao Guoliang moved a little closer and then he could vaguely hear the voice coming from the phone...
[...Features a 6.21-inch Samsung AMOLED screen, powered by a Snapdragon 845 processor, and achieves an AnTuTu score exceeding 30...]
The dual rear camera scored 105 on DXOMARK, supports features like micro-beautification, and is currently the most affordable Snapdragon 845 processor…
The intelligent scene applications of the voice assistant "Xiao Ai" have been enhanced, while 76% of the system sound effects have been streamlined, and a white noise function has been added...
India's market share is 30.3%, and the growth rate in the European market exceeds 999%...
Uh……
Cao Guoliang paused, a few question marks appearing on his forehead.
Isn't this a promotional video for rockets?
What kind of operation is it to cram for exams by watching mobile phone ads at the last minute?
"President Hu? President Hu?" After calling twice, Hu Yifei finally snapped out of his serious study and looked up to see Cao Guoliang standing in front of him.
"Oh! Engineer Cao, what brings you here?"
"I heard you were filming a promotional video here, so I came here specifically to see if there was anything I could help you with."
Cao Guoliang subconsciously glanced at Hu Yifei's phone.
"No problem. Didn't you send me all the key promotional content to my email? Don't worry! I've memorized it several times, there won't be any mistakes!"
"Hehe! That's good!"
"Mr. Hu! Everything's ready over there, you may proceed!"
Just then, a man who looked like a reporter ran over and pointed to the filming location not far away.
"Okay! I'll be right there!" Hu Yifei replied, then looked at Cao Guoliang.
"Engineer Cao, since you're here, let's go together. While you're at it, please help me check it out and remind me if there's anything I've overlooked."
"it is good!"
……
Soon, with the Ark 1 standing in the background, the camera lens was focused on the radiant Hu Yifei.
"Hello everyone, aerospace enthusiasts and tech buffs! I am Hu Yifei from Fangzhou Co., Ltd."
Those who like the 'Bajie' and 'Badou' series of products should be familiar with them.
But today we're not going to talk about AI or cars; we're going to talk about the main character we're about to release—Ark One!
Our company's first independently developed reusable commercial rocket!
In my view, this is not only a technological breakthrough, but also an important milestone for China's aerospace industry, from a "national team" to "aerospace for all"!
In the past, rocket launches were costly and non-recyclable, much like disposable chopsticks, which were thrown away after use, resulting in serious waste of resources.
As is well known, international giants have long been developing recyclable technologies and have quickly seized more than 80% of the market share.
So how can our commercial space industry achieve a leapfrog development?
The answer is our Ark One...
Recyclable, low-cost, and high-capacity, China's space program has transformed from a "money-burning" endeavor to a "profit-making" one!
Our reusable design allows the first-stage rocket to land vertically and can be reused more than 10 times, directly reducing the cost per launch by 78%!
At the same time, the arrow body is made entirely of stainless steel and ultra-strong carbon fiber composite materials, which reduces the weight by 32% while increasing the strength by 58%.
Our self-developed 'lifting and buoyancy combination buffer system' reduces landing impact by 89% through tiered airbags and harpoon buffer mechanisms, allowing the rocket to land as lightly as a feather and enabling the steel behemoth to turn gracefully.
In addition, our "Ark One" is equipped with the world's first "zero coking and carbon buildup engine", which improves specific impulse by 31% and reduces the cost of a single maintenance by 92%.
In the past, rockets accounted for 74% of the cost of launching a satellite.
We've now reduced rocket costs to 33%, and the money saved can be used to build nine more satellites!
Furthermore, through algorithm optimization and software development, we pioneered the 'Intelligent Attitude Capture System'.
Through dynamically adjusted intelligent capture, millimeter-level precision control of the rocket's landing attitude is achieved, with millisecond-level control errors! The theoretical recovery success rate is increased to 99.8%!
Safe! Reliable! And with exceptional value for money!
Ark Group's goal is to ignite the most distant dreams with the cleanest fuel!
To make space exploration affordable for research institutions, commercial companies, and even individuals.
The ticket to the stars and the sea will no longer be expensive!
Yes! We're not building rockets, we're building an ark to the future!
Friends, if you are a satellite company, Ark One allows you to launch more satellites with less money!
If you're a tech enthusiast, Ark-1 will let you witness the cutting-edge technology of China's aerospace industry!
If you are an investor, Ark One is the most noteworthy "hot topic" of 2018!
Ark 1 was not just a rocket, but the beginning of an era.
China's commercial spaceflight has now become 'recyclable'!
Every launch we make is a victory over Earth's gravity!
I believe that a person's belief in miracles is always the primary prerequisite for a miracle to occur!
Today, we bring this belief to life in an epic of steel and fire...
Ark 1 lets its technology speak for itself and its data prove its worth.
The future is here, are you... ready?
Cao Guoliang: "..."
Looking at Hu Yifei, who was pointing at the camera and striking a cool pose, Cao Guoliang's expression grew increasingly strange.
His tone and expression were passionate and his emotions were spot on. After carefully considering all the data and parameters... it seemed like there was nothing wrong with it.
but……
This approach transforms complex parameters into perceptible metaphors, elevates product functionality to the level of human civilization through grand narratives, cites extensive data to enhance resonance, and simultaneously creates product scarcity through "limited editions" and "naming rights"...
Hmm... this feeling of déjà vu...
Does this look like someone's copycat?
(End of this chapter)