บท 13: Chapter 13 Launch_1
Due to the small takeoff mass of the rocket, the launch pad was also made exceedingly simple, consisting of some ordinary steel structures primarily used for fueling and connecting the rocket's electrical systems.
On the 24th, the rocket was already transported here, and on the 25th, it was hoisted up by a crane and placed onto the launch pad.
Not far off, on an open space, were two tanker trucks carrying liquid oxygen and kerosene, which would be used to load the fuel within an hour before launch.
As the launch site was established in haste, the launch control room setup was also very rudimentary, built out of simple prefabricated houses just a few hundred meters behind a hilltop.
It must be said that a 30-meter-tall rocket standing erect was quite a sight to behold, after all, it was the height of a 10-story building, and it could be seen clearly even from the top of the hill.
"The launch is tomorrow, before the launch we must perform a thorough self-check, if there are any problems during the launch we must immediately shut down, we absolutely do not allow dangerous operations, understand?"
Lin Ju was instructing Guo Shen and several other senior technicians. Although he dearly hoped for a successful mission, he did not wish to take any risks.
After all, it was tens of tons of fuel, an explosion could create a crater big enough to bury everyone in the factory, along with their families. Any carelessness could lead to a major accident.
"Don't worry, boss. The New Yuan number one is a very mature design, and the manufacturing absolutely meets the standard. Less than twenty issues were found during the four pre-shipment inspections, and all have been corrected. Plus, there will be another self-check before launch, there won't be any problems."
Lin Ju nodded, Guo Shen at least had experience as a former engineer from America, so he was no stranger to the rocket launching process. Lin decided to trust the judgment of the professional.
"And about the publicity department, how are the live broadcasting equipments prepared? We'll be live streaming across the whole network."
Cai Yuanfa, who also served as the head of the publicity department, guaranteed confidently:
"Rest assured, Mr. Lin, I've asked people from the TV station for guidance, nothing will go wrong."
"And the satellite, what about the satellite?"
Lin Ju turned to ask the person in charge from the Southern Machinery Institute, who had been assigned to the factory to oversee the satellite integration with the rocket.
"As of yesterday's test, all satellite parameters were normal, and it's well integrated with the rocket. As long as it can be delivered into space, it will definitely work."
With everything fully prepared, Lin Ju was in high spirits as he looked over towards the system panel again.
After several more operations, the settlement gain had already increased to 4%. Coupled with the popularity garnered from the live broadcast of the launch, it wasn't impossible to increase it to 5% or 6%.
On the morning of August 26th at 7 AM, lights were already shining around the launch site.
All personnel involved in the research and development of the rocket and the satellite, a total of more than 300 people, were gathered at the hilltop of the control room to watch the rocket on the launch pad.
The New Yuan number one was scheduled to launch at 11 AM. At the moment, it was undergoing one repetitive self-check after another.
The main video platforms had already started their live streams, but at this time, the audience count was only at a few hundred—not very many.
However, on the road outside the launch site, two people in a car were driving closer, swearing and cursing.
"That 'Burning Torch' guy is so unreliable, posting stuff without responding, just gave an address and then no further info."
"Didn't he say he was a security guard? Maybe he got caught for leaking information."
"You believe that? He also said his name was Wang Ergou!"
"If you don't believe it, then why drive here so early in the morning?"
Indeed, these two were space enthusiasts who had been convinced by Lin Ju's post. But it wasn't entirely based on that, because shortly after, New Yuan's official verified account released the launch information and confirmed that the launch site was indeed here.
By the time they arrived at the expected place, quite a few people had already gathered.
This spot was distant from the launch field, and for safety, the local government and public security had put up several kilometers of warning lines and dispatched hundreds of staff to prevent bystanders from intruding.
Informed villagers nearby and people from the town, having heard the news through various channels, got up early in the morning to watch the rocket.
This was a rare opportunity for a live viewing, as previously, rocket launches were only broadcasted on TV.
At 9 AM, the control room approved fuel loading.
About 80 tons of fuel were slowly loaded into the tanks, and the area around the rocket and launch tower was immediately enveloped in white smoke. This was vaporized liquid oxygen, and to prevent excessive pressure in the tanks, some of the gaseous oxygen was continuously vented off.
In any country's rocket that uses liquid oxygen as an oxidizer, continuous emission of white smoke can be seen before the launch.
Thus, when you see white smoke drifting around the rocket, it means it's ready for launch and could ignite at any moment.
By this time, the heat of the online broadcast had finally kicked in; the camera was locked firmly on the rocket, and the number of viewers was swelling rapidly, surpassing ten thousand and still climbing.
The people in the control room were extremely tense, repeatedly checking the rocket's various parameters.
60 minutes before launch, another round of self-checks began.
Lin Ju along with Tang Weitian, Zhou Rui, and others stood outside the control room on the hilltop, watching the rocket while chatting.
"Lin Ju, I've had something I've been meaning to say. Your rocket engines are very good, but the rocket body design… to be honest, there are some issues. Not safety issues, but other aspects I don't quite understand. However, at that time you had already begun processing, so I didn't ask."
"Oh? Professor Tang, please tell us what the problem is."
Lin Ju eagerly asked, and Tang Weitian took out a notebook, writing and speaking at the same time:
"Generally, rockets are designed based on payload goals, for instance whether I want to send a certain amount of kilograms to low Earth orbit, sun-synchronous orbit, or the Moon, and so on. The purpose dictates that even with similar lift-off mass, the structural differences can be significant.
If you were to increase the rocket body diameter to 3 meters and the lift-off mass by about 10 tons, you could at least quadruple the payload capacity to low Earth orbit to 1.6 tons instead of the current 400 kilograms. This can only indicate that the designers' actual purpose wasn't low Earth orbit."
But my calculations show that its suitability for sun-synchronous orbit, geostationary transfer orbit, or stationary orbit are all off, none seem to be the intended target orbits.
This rocket's design is very mature; without a special purpose, there's no need to sacrifice so much payload capacity. Look at the New Yuan 1 now, it's actually wasting about 20% of fuel. Just a small adjustment in the mass distribution between the upper stage and the first stage could yield several times the payload capacity. I don't believe its designers couldn't think of this."
"Right, I used to think maybe it was just being conservative for the first test launch, but this is taking it too far," Lin Ju commented.
Zhou Rui and the others also echoed in agreement; they also understood as soon as they heard it.
Lin Ju felt a chill in his heart and immediately inquired with the system. The system swiftly provided an answer.
The system's blueprints come from countless parallel universes of mankind; each Earth has certain differences, and rocket designs are not necessarily for launch from Earth.
And since the system lacks the ability to modify, it can only find an approximate rocket that meets the requirements, hence it came up with DX-1.
Therefore, it is apparent that the design launch site for DX-1 was definitely not Earth nor the Earth's orbits, which led to the current severe reduction in payload capacity.
This kind of mistake would bewilder any expert. The rocket body design is solid, so how could such a basic error occur?
Lin Ju's thoughts raced, and after a while, he concocted an explanation:
"Ahem, that is, Professor Tang, as you know, the... design of this rocket actually has a little to do with the American Aerospace Bureau."
Seeing Tang Weitian and the others show an "I see" expression, Lin Ju felt relieved to continue his fabricated story:
"Actually, New Yuan 1 was modified from a discarded booster project of the American Aerospace Bureau. Considering our lack of experience, we made the most conservative changes in a rush just to avoid any malfunction."
This explanation successfully deceived everyone, and now it made sense, as the original design of New Yuan 1 was not intended for satellite launching at all.
"I see, it had to be the American Aerospace Bureau; their experience in design is truly extensive. The people who made the changes must not be very competent, and they've been overly cautious," Tang Weitian remarked.
"Yes, it's a shame they discarded such a good kerosene engine; it's truly disrespectful!" another person chipped in.
After Lin Ju admitted that the technology originated from America, especially the people from the Southern Machinery Institute became unsettled, and their doubts about themselves reduced significantly.
After all, it was America, who had landed on the Moon half a century ago; their having such an advanced design was expected, and looking down on a 120-ton-class kerosene engine matched their arrogance and confidence.
Seeing he had finally gotten past the lie, Lin Ju let out a huge sigh of relief and swiftly changed the subject, directing everyone's attention to the rocket launch.
At 10:55 am, 5 minutes before the launch, the final round of self-check passed without any faults, and after Guo Shen asked for Lin Ju's permission, the launch procedure continued normally.
In the live streaming room, the 5-minute countdown began ticking down, and the video's barrage of comments rapidly increased, filling the screen.
By this point, the viewing count tallied by various platforms had already exceeded 200,000, but the most active were the thousands of students from the Southern Machinery Institute.
After all, if their school could rise in status because of this, their diplomas would also increase in value.
Lin Ju glanced at the barrage of comments scrolling across the laptop screen, mostly "Southern Machinery Institute rocks", "I also participated in this satellite", "Thumbs up for the seniors", "China Aerospace, add oil", "New Yuan tractor factory NO.1", all looking forward to a successful rocket launch.
"60 seconds to launch!"
The launch tower's loudspeaker emitted the announcement.
"30 seconds to launch!"
"20 seconds to launch!"
At this point, all the spectators understood that the final countdown was coming up, and they quietly counted down in their hearts, no longer speaking.
"10, 9, 8..."
"3, 2, 1, ignition."
"Main engine ignition."
As the last word dropped, the live broadcast's zoomed-in lens first showed a wisp of white smoke at the bottom of the rocket, and then a burst of flame rapidly expanding.
Before the rocket left the ground, the spreading smoke nearly enveloped the entire rocket body, giving onlookers the impression of a pre-explosion smoke screen.
The unsuspecting crowd tensed up, but soon enough, the white cone emerged from the smoke, with the rest of the rocket body quickly following suit as it lifted off from the ground.
Only then did the roaring sound of the rocket engine reach the ears of the onlookers; although it was just a 120-ton-class engine, the force was so powerful it felt like an earthquake.
New Yuan 1 rose quickly in everyone's view, steadily soaring towards the sky.
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