Chapter 56: Chapter 54: Slacking Off Meeting_1

The aerospace exchange meeting held in Beijing this time was themed "Looking to the Future, Heading for the Stars".

According to the content that had already been released, the main agenda included discussions about the various future space programs, the national deep space exploration plan, future astronaut training, and manned lunar exploration projects, as well as rumors of a special grant of support funds for the domestic aerospace industry, and even possible state technical support.

In addition to major corporate groups, there were also representatives from the astronaut brigade and the Ulanha Mountain Air Force Base.

Such exchange meetings couldn’t really decide anything, but they were the basis for the decision-makers to issue significant directives; it might take only one meeting or several meetings to be satisfied.

When Lin Ju arrived, there was still one day to go before the start, so he was invited to visit the Capital branch of the Aerospace 6th Institute.

The 6th Institute, formerly part of the 7th Machinery Department and headquartered in Chang’an, was known as the cradle of China’s aerospace propulsion technology.

The Capital branch mainly focused on materials science and control system research, and among Lin Ju’s group, only Androff was a System Engineer, but he wasn’t particularly familiar with this area either; the visit was merely a formality.

The research institute was very busy then, and Androff too was busy with his commitments to come over and do a PPT presentation. His main responsibility, the rocket body design, was a relatively basic part of the process, so delaying it for a few days was fine.

The next day, when Lin Ju entered the venue, his eyes were truly opened.

The rented auditorium was much more magnificent than what he had seen on television, and the decor was also serious and solemn. Upon entering, one could feel that pressure. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

According to the seating arrangements at the venue, he could see that the vast majority of the participants were internal personnel from the space agency; New Yuan sent less than ten people.

One after another, aerospace experts and big shots he had seen on television entered the venue, and many of them even made a point of passing by Lin Ju to greet him, eager to meet this prominent figure in the aerospace world.

Androff, sportingly a good deal of hair despite being of Asian descent, also attracted a lot of attention, and the cameras frequently focused on this faux foreigner.

After more than an hour, everyone was finally seated, and Lin Ju, sitting in the front row, saw the moving video cameras and adjusted his posture slightly to appear more serious.

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Because the row of seats on the stage was also filled, where legends from the founding era or the highest leaders of the aerospace sector were seated, Lin Ju felt like several of them even smiled at him, to which he smartly smiled back.

The exchange meeting began on schedule at the appointed time, with the host saying a bunch of the right kind of nonsense before starting to play a MV of the achievements made by the 33-year space engineering program. When it came to the New Yuan series rockets, many people looked towards Lin Ju in the front row.

The entire morning was essentially the opening ceremony. As lunchtime approached and the meeting adjourned for a break, Lin Ju, who had been sitting until his whole body was sore, stood up and stretched. He saw someone approaching and sizing him up.

The man introduced himself proactively:

"Hello Chairman Lin, I am the deputy director of the Modu City Rocket Research Institute, He Tang."

"Hello, hello." Lin Ju was puzzled, but the next sentence from the man made him understand.

"I’m also in charge of the CZ-6 and the design work for the CZ-6 reusable variant."

Oh, it was from the 8th Institute. Lin Ju suddenly realized, then his expression involuntarily showed an embarrassed tinge.

The New Yuan One had muscled in on the turf of CZ-6, completing the journey they had set out on, which was nothing short of rivalry.

He Tang noticed Lin Ju’s embarrassment, but he didn’t have any intention of blaming anyone; he simply really wanted to meet the founder of New Yuan Aeronautics, and after a brief greeting, he left.

In the afternoon, the first to take the stage was the 8th Institute.

However, it wasn’t He Tang, but instead, the institute director and chief engineer, and the first thing they introduced was the CZ-6 reusable variant that was in development.

After the presentation video showing the entire process of the CZ-6R rocket’s recovery had played, Lin Ju felt it looked practically like an edited replay of the New Yuan One Type C’s video, as it was almost indistinguishable from the outside.

But they weren’t really copying, CZ-6 had been initiated earlier, it’s just that Lin Ju was too unscrupulous, he could even feel that the leaders present were looking at him while the CZ-6 was being discussed.

Fortunately, apart from that, there were no surprises afterward, just various PPTs. Some of Lin Ju’s plans had become reality, while some he’d never heard of and might have been scrapped.

Although China’s aerospace had been severely provoked by Lin Ju, it still leaned towards conservatism. The only noteworthy mention was the Aerospace 6th Institute’s proposal of a future "500-ton class LOX/kerosene engine."

Currently, it’s temporarily coded as the YF480, and it will be called the YF130 in the future. It has a quad combustion chamber structure, which seems like four YF100s stuck together.

However, its specific impulse, thrust-to-weight ratio, and other metrics could only be described as mediocre, or even backward.

As for the hydrogen-oxygen engines, they are the YF77 and the YF75D, one with 50 tons of thrust and the other 8 tons.

Lin Ju felt drowsy listening to all this because, compared to his own company’s rich technology library, these little guys should simply be swept into the trash heap.

Moreover, the "new" stuff being discussed now would all become public in the future, completely lacking any novelty or interest.

The Big Shots sitting above took in the expressions of everyone in the first row:

The vast majority were listening intently, some analyzing technical structures, others discussing quietly. Only New Yuan’s side was markedly indifferent.

Although evaluating the advanced nature of engines isn’t just about thrust, it’s still the most intuitive aspect for ordinary people to understand. So, executives from New Yuan, thinking of their own engines with hundreds of tons of thrust, lacked enthusiasm.

Lin Ju’s eyelids were wrestling each other, and only by gripping the armrest could he prevent himself from nodding off, his eyes listless. Androff was even more obvious, with constant grimacing and other small actions, his face full of disdain.

Representatives from the 6th, 8th, and 5th Institutes and the Science and Industry Group presented as well. Numerous future prospects ranged from solid rockets to liquid rockets, yet New Yuan’s staff never seemed to take a genuine interest.

The presenters from the various research institutes had also noticed this scene. Though they said nothing, their irritation was evident, as the feeling of being overlooked was truly uncomfortable.

In the afternoon, as the meeting adjourned, Lin Ju was pulled aside by a hand as soon as he stepped out of the venue.

"Mr. Tang, how come I didn’t see you?"

"I was sitting at the back, just not up front. I’m telling you, you’d better be careful tomorrow."

Tang Weitian grabbed Lin Ju’s sleeve, his face a picture of helplessness:

"You actually dared to daydream in the front row? Do you realize you’re a key focus of the leadership?"

"Ah?" Lin Ju was somewhat bewildered, feeling more like he was invisible, not even scheduled to speak.

"What ’ah?’ The leadership just mentioned they’re looking forward to what you’ll present tomorrow! With so many projects today, did none catch your eye? Fortunately, we review the footage before broadcast, or all the shots of you would have to be cut out."

Tang Weitian succeeded in scaring Lin Ju, who also became somewhat uneasy. He was used to attending meetings at the company, but usually, he just watched the System Engineers preside and then approved budgets.

New Yuan’s senior meetings only discussed the feasibility of technological paths and production plans, very efficient and quick, nothing like sitting through today’s tedium.

Returning to the hotel where they were staying, Androff was caught and received a stern rebuke:

"Androff, you are now a Chinese national. You need to learn modesty. Today, your behavior caught the leadership’s attention, and they plan to focus on you. Don’t do this again, understand?"

But Androff was completely unperturbed:

"It’s not personal against anyone, I’m saying all they’ve done is a pile of trash. The YF480’s metrics aren’t even close to a hair of the 1970s RD170—it’s a total waste of factory materials to design such things.

Boss, I’ve been holding back, and tomorrow I’ll definitely teach them what true aerospace is!"