Chapter 42: Sol Five, Lil' Eagle's Race

Tomcat stared at the computer screen. On it, the Eagle was a shapeless quantity. It followed the preset trajectory in its ascent as the two Raptor 3C rocket engines raised the Lander's Ascent Vehicle to 3.5 km/s, placing it in a circular orbit around Mars. This speed was half of Earth's first cosmic velocity; therefore, it was much easier launching a spacecraft on Mars than on Earth.

The surface wind speeds were maintained at around 30 m/s, allowing the Eagle and Kunlun Station to maintain a stable connection. Any higher and the wind speeds might be higher, but as the air was thinner at such heights, the conditions would only improve. The sandstorm's influence on the lander would subsequently decrease.

Tomcat wore a heavy expression as it didn't think it was too early to rejoice.

The Eagle had only made its first step into space. What followed were all kinds of obstacles that needed to be overcome.