Qiongzhou, Aerospace Launch Administration.

Across from Guo Shen sat the deputy director of the administration and the construction manager from the first bureau in charge of the launch site construction.

"Mr. Guo, I suggest the New Yuan launch site be built here. It can share a transportation channel with the state, which could reduce costs by at least 20%,"

Deputy Director Huang circled an area on the map and quickly sketched the route for transferring rockets from the port. Guo Shen nodded continuously.

Aside from helping Guo Shen cut costs and shorten construction time, Deputy Director Huang’s main aim was to reduce the difficulty in management because coordination could be very troublesome.

"Wouldn’t the shared channel affect launch efficiency?"

"Please rest assured, there’s absolutely no issue with logistics capacity. Rockets aren’t canned goods that come by truck every few days. Delays won’t exceed 24 hours, and we won’t miss the launch window,"

"Agreed," Guo Shen conveyed his approval, and then looked toward the manager from the first bureau.

The first bureau’s Manager Qin was actually very pleased. Originally, with the completion of the launch site, most of the workers and machinery were boarding ships to leave, but unexpectedly, they received another, no, two big orders.

New Yuan requested the construction of a site that included two launch towers capable of accommodating rockets with a 10-meter diameter, four recovery pads, and a dual runway landing field.

Abe’s Mukala Launch Site, on the other hand, had one less launch tower and fewer facilities.

With the two orders combined, they had enough to keep them busy for a long time.

"The New Yuan Aerospace Launch Site can be completed in 10 months as per your schedule. Most of the machinery hasn’t been removed yet, so we can start work within half a month.

The total estimated cost for the entire launch site is 5 billion yuan. We haven’t conducted an on-site inspection of the Mukala Launch Site yet, and although it has fewer facilities, its costs will only be higher, totaling about 6 billion yuan,"

billion RMB, which converts to 1.5 billion US dollars, seemed completely reasonable to Guo Shen. If it were NACA’s way of doing things, this figure would have at least doubled.

"Agreed, but I hope that in six months we can first construct one launch tower, one recovery pad, and one runway to meet operational requirements,"

"That... shouldn’t be a problem."

Manager Qin agreed, and the three parties promptly signed an agreement.

Yes, three parties, because the launch site was included in the construction of China’s global tracking and control system, and the tracking stations were managed by the Aerospace Launch Administration.

Beyond the Qiongzhou Launch Site, after reaching an agreement with the space agency, the Bingzhou Satellite Launch Center also welcomed cooperation with New Yuan.

The first New Yuan 1C carrier rocket had been transported via highway and had already arrived at the Bingzhou Satellite Launch Center, where it completed final assembly and testing.

The Bingzhou Satellite Launch Center is the country’s main satellite launch base for SSO Sun-synchronous orbits.

Launching the New Yuan 1C rocket carrying a group of satellite rideshares from here provided better launch conditions and a greater range of tracking and control. It was also a test of inclusion into the national tracking and control system.

"3, 2, 1, ignition."

Fierce orange flames spurted from beneath the flame trench, and the New Yuan 1C broke free from Earth’s gravity, hurtling towards space at a tremendous speed.

The heads of several companies participating in the rideshare gazed up at the small white dot in the sky, feeling exceedingly nervous.

After all, space ventures are never short of surprises.

Fortunately, just a few minutes later, all satellites successfully reached Sun-synchronous orbit and sent out signals indicating normal operation from space.

Those outside heaved a sigh of relief, while the director of the control center chatted idly with the people from New Yuan:

"Your New Yuan 1C might as well be renamed the CZ-6. The rocket body and engine are identical. The Eighth Academy isn’t as fast as you are, as their first launch isn’t until next year.

Oh, there is a difference, of course; you’re planning on recovering them."

The first stage of the New Yuan 1C rocket was also made reusable, as it was universally used for the whole family of rockets.

But it wasn’t the same as the one used for New Yuan 1B, which had already completed its fourth recovery. New Yuan was now highly skilled in recovery operations and was already preparing for sea recoveries.

The first stage of the New Yuan 1C was now approaching the ground and landed perfectly at New Yuan’s landing pad, without a single hitch.

When the Eighth Academy heard this news, they were so agitated that they worked overtime for three consecutive weekends.

Because the space agency had issued an internal notice that it would open some national launch missions to private space companies.

Now isn’t New Yuan the only one in the private space sector? What? Two more companies were registered recently? That doesn’t count.

The Eighth Academy has two lines of business, missiles and rockets. Missiles are the main operation, while rockets are aimed specifically at commercial development. With New Yuan throwing its hat into the ring, their competitive pressure had increased like never before.

The development of CZ-6R had just begun, and although the rocket body didn’t need major changes, the landing legs and precision control were still causing major headaches.

He Tang thought it over and decided to call the Sixth Academy to hurry them up, saying his progress was swift and he was just waiting for the engine, successfully shifting some of the pressure away.

...

"Click, clack..."

Under the flash of cameras, Lin Ju signed the land purchase agreement with the municipal government.

5,000 mu of land, of which 3,000 mu was designated for the production area of carrier rockets and spacecraft, with the remaining area dedicated to a small launch site.

New Yuan Town was too small; the old launch base would be abandoned, and small rockets didn’t need to be shipped back and forth—they could just fly from here.

There was also a dedicated runway leading straight from the assembly warehouse for the future transportation of spaceplanes, which wouldn’t be costly to construct.

The total investment was estimated at 4 billion RMB, but the cost of land was free, with prices being half sold, half gifted. The banks provided the full loan, and interest payments alone were acceptable for the first five years.

Since the location of the rocket manufacturing factory was quite remote, the land price was not high at all. Both the city and provincial governments hoped to foster a large aerospace enterprise, spurring economic growth across various locales through the industrial chain—a bit of land given away was a small price to pay.

For a province located in central-western China, such a high-tech enterprise was a treasure. Regulations seemed to green-light all the way, providing full cooperation with corporate requirements.

Of course, the provincial government had conditions, such as naming the launch center Panda Launch Center to boost tourism...

Lin Ju had no objections; changing a name was a trivial matter.

However, just as the ownership transfer of the 5,000 mu of land was completed and officially entered the name of New Yuan Aerospace Power Company, the long-silent system in his mind suddenly popped up a notification:

[Detection of registered sub-base, meeting B-level base area requirements. Would you like to change the order of main and sub-bases?

If yes, the system-bound entity will change.]

Lin Ju was startled and quickly chose yes without much thought, as the original tractor factory’s location was too small and moving here would be apt.

[Main base updated, the system will reassess...

Assessment complete: Host has successfully become a world-class aerospace manufacturer through his own efforts, possessing a significant influence. Part of the marketplace will be opened; the system hopes the host continues onward and upward.

Note: Market unlocks correspond proportionally to space exploration progress and influence. Items can be purchased with funds.]

Lin Ju: !

The marketplace, at last, the marketplace is open! He could finally cheat by himself!

Upon opening the system panel, a series of items had already appeared in the marketplace.

[Note: Funds are priced in RMB, items are non-refundable; items purchased from the system marketplace can have their use specified within reasonable bounds.

System C-level Engineer: 10 million

System B-level Skill Upgrade Card: 100 million

D-level Skill Upgrade Card: 1 million

C-level Skill Upgrade Card: 5 million

D-level Base Upgrade Card: 30 million

C-level Base Upgrade Card: 300 million

B-level Base Upgrade Card: 3 billion

C-level In-Orbit Module Construction Basic Technology: 50 million

90KN Turbofan-ramjet combined propulsion engine: 200 million

500-ton class single combustion chamber LOX/LH2 open-cycle engine: 80 million

100KN gas cooled reactor thermal rocket engine technology: 300 million

X32035 Ternary Universal Chip technical data: 1 billion

SC09 Smart Spaceship Control System (applicable to X320 series chips): 1 billion

50N Hall Thruster technology...]