Chapter 70: Chapter 68 The First Launch of New Yuan-2_1

In order to complete the system’s mission and to expand the influence of aerospace as much as possible, Lin Ju devoted extra money and effort.

Besides making arrangements with the Aerospace Administration to contact CCTV for live coverage, Lin Ju also requested the assistance of the Sichuan Education Bureau.

Now, most schools in Sichuan are equipped with ancient CRT TVs. Since the launch is on a Tuesday, why not let the students stay behind to watch the rocket launch?

As a result, the vast majority of high schools and middle schools with evening self-study received instructions: tonight at 6 PM, turn on the TV.

For areas outside Sichuan, Lin Ju did not yet possess the ability to influence them; it would not be known if there would be an opportunity until after sending people up.

Meanwhile, across the ocean, besides Ma, another wealthy entrepreneur involved in rockets was squatting in front of the screen watching the New Yuan No.2.

Jiff Bezos, CEO of the world’s largest e-commerce website Amazon, founded the aerospace company Blue Origin in 2000.

In 2012, Blue Origin announced the "New Glenn" rocket project, which would use seven BE4 liquid oxygen methane engines producing 250 tons of thrust each, capable of sending a payload of 45 tons into low Earth orbit in a single stage.

However, up to now, the BE4 engines have not had a single successful test.

But when Bezos saw the New Yuan-2 standing upright and compared it to his own New Glenn rocket, which was highly similar in appearance according to his PPT, he always felt a sense of being cuckolded.

Turning his gaze back to the screen, it was already 3 PM Capital time, with 3 hours left until the launch.

At this moment, it was very hot on the viewing beach, but to secure the best spots, and with over two hundred thousand locals gathered, there was a significant risk of heat stroke.

Unexpectedly, besides the patrolling police cars, a line of light trucks arrived on the beach, with people wearing panda-themed hats continuously distributing bottled water and fans.

They gave a bottle of mineral water to everyone they passed, and for those without hats, they provided a tourist hat with panda ears characteristic of the Capital, all the while not forgetting to say:

"Come visit the pandas in the Capital if you have time."

"Sichuan has attractions and high tech; those who came for the rockets, go to the beach resort’s administrative office to get discount coupons for Jiuzhaigou group travel packages!"

"Joan is too hot; Sichuan is cooler, and Hongyuan is the place to be in July and August to beat the heat."

"..."

In order to maximize the value of their 10 million sponsorship deal, the Tourism and Culture Bureau made ample preparations, targeting those who could afford to fly to Joan and were also capable of flying to Sichuan, tirelessly promoting Sichuan’s three specialties: pandas, attractions, and rockets.

If Lin Ju had not been firm, the Progress might have been renamed Panda...

"Time remaining until launch: three hours."

Although the rocket was already in launch preparation, the staff inside the launch tower were still busy and sweating.

After all, that was a heavy-lift rocket weighing 1,300 tons. The CZ-5 and CZ-2F combined would only equal its mass, and if it exploded, launch complex no.1 would have to be scrapped.

Deputy Director Huang of the Launch Management Bureau set up an altar outside the launch complex, paying homage to the local gods, the Buddha, Jesus and his brother Hong Xiuquan, the Jade Emperor, Von Braun, and Sir Qian, praying fervently that the New Yuan-2 would not explode.

At the Haidian Astronaut Training Center, Zhou Rui and Zhao Xiaowen looked up at the 70-meter-tall New Yuan-2, and when they thought that the Progress attached to its top would nearly reach 90 meters, they felt their legs trembling.

Deng Lei, on the other hand, was brimming with excitement. He took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and eagerly anticipated the moment he would sit on it and soar into the sky.

CCAV:

Host: "Now, with just one hour left until the launch, through the footage from our reporters, we can see that the New Yuan No.2 Remote 1 rocket is almost as tall as the launch tower. How can we ensure that such a tall rocket remains stable and doesn’t sway?"

New Yuan Engineer: "... (reluctant to speak, looks towards the Aerospace Administration guest)"

Space agency guest: "Our launch positions, the methods we use are different from America’s..."

"Countdown fifteen minutes."

At 5:45 PM, the setting sun transformed into a giant fiery red circle, suspended above the sea level, almost at the same height as the New Yuan No.2.

Beside the sea, the palm trees cast long shadows in the slanted sunlight, while the bright lights of the launch tower illuminated the New Yuan-2 rocket body, displaying a smiling panda.

At this moment, New Yuan-2’s chief designer Guo Shen, deputy chief designer Androff, and personnel from the space agency stood solemnly in front of the control panel, seriously watching the screens. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Countdown, one minute."

The engines underwent another round of electrical self-inspection; the control system checked the status of the ignition system.

On the beach, more than two hundred thousand people joined in the countdown together.

"Fifteen, fourteen... four, three, two, one!!!"

As the final countdown concluded, white smoke first emerged from two of the seven engines arranged diagonally around the outer circle.

The seven bottom engines ignited starting from the outer circle and then the middle, with the outer engines lighting up in pairs in a 2-2-2-1 sequence.

The launch tower’s deluge system began spraying mist to cool down the high-temperature exhaust gases surrounding the engine.

Amidst the mist and the escaping oxygen, the thrust from the engines gradually increased, as fiery red flames eagerly poured out of the flame trench.

Unlike the upgraded New Yuan-1, with tenfold thrust, the cameras placed around the beach first captured the air distorting from the heat around the rocket; it was only a few seconds later that a strong vibration was felt through the ground and the air.

And this was still a few kilometers away, with a stretch of sea in between!

In the first few seconds after lift-off, the New Yuan-2’s orange-red flames mixed with the sunset, making it appear as though there were two suns in the sky, one large and one small.

At that moment, sensors detected that the first-stage rocket produced a total thrust of 1,550 tons, and as the fuel decreased and thrust increased, the rocket’s ascent speed gradually quickened.

Outside the launch tower, Deputy Director Huang breathed a sigh of relief, seeing the New Yuan-2 maintaining a stable trajectory.

By now, there were already quite a few clouds around the launch site, scattering the rocket’s tail flame light onto the ground, covering every upturned face.

At that moment, the powerful airflow from the rocket finally crossed the water, turning into a strong wind that blew the evaporating seawater onto the faces of the tourists at the beach, but in a few seconds, the cooling mist transformed into a warm wave of air.

Inside the launch control room, the remaining fuel in Core Stage One continued to decrease, and the rocket became faster and faster; it had now turned into the brightest star on the horizon.

From the sea surface to the high sky, the rocket’s trajectory left behind a trail made up of gaps in the clouds. Illuminated by the tail flame at the very top, it looked like a ladder reaching into the heavens.

In the CCAV reporter’s footage, the female reporter shouted with all her might, but her voice was still drowned out by the crowd’s cheering and the roaring of the New Yuan-2’s engines. In the end, the broadcast switched to the ground tracking camera, following the seven engines of the New Yuan-2 as they ejected pale blue flames.

In the space agency’s observation area, they had already begun to softly clap.

Such a heavy rocket, even if not recoverable, would be an incredible achievement just to reach orbit; this essentially represented the highest ambition of the space agency for the next decade.

The first-stage rocket propelled the whole thing beyond the atmosphere. As the perspective switched to a camera at the rear of the second stage, following the separation of the first and second stages, the gentle white light of the atmosphere appeared in the frame. Then the central vacuum-rated hydrogen-oxygen engine of the second stage ignited, silently emitting an almost transparent flame.

The second-stage rocket’s mission was to carry the mock payload to low Earth orbit before turning back to re-enter the atmosphere, where it would be consumed by intense friction - that was its destiny.

From the viewpoint of the second-stage camera, the first-stage shut down and, stiff as a board, began to drift away from the second stage.

The first stage would use its inertia to rise to an altitude of approximately 160 kilometers before adjusting its attitude to begin descent.