Chapter 410: Ignition Successful

After the meeting ended, Korolyov and the Hexin team stayed behind to discuss technical details. Mishen, the person in charge of the rocket guidance system, said worriedly, "To be honest, the precision of our gyroscopes still has issues. The latest tests show that errors accumulate significantly after long periods of operation."

Korolyov pondered for a moment: "Could we add redundant designs? Use three independent systems and take the average?"

Mishen shook his head: "That would increase weight and complexity. I suggest simplifying the mission objectives; first, ensure the satellite is sent into orbit, and the orbital precision requirements can be appropriately relaxed."

Korolyov agreed helplessly. As a pragmatic engineer, he knew that the industrial foundation of Beijixiong Guo still lagged behind the Star-Spangled Country, especially in the precision manufacturing capabilities for certain key components. But they had other advantages—an unyielding will, sufficient resource investment, and a determination that did not fear failure.

At the same time, Beijixiong Guo was also secretly advancing another project closely related to the space race—the "Blizzard" intercontinental ballistic missile project. Inside a military-industrial complex deep in the Ural Mountains, this project was accelerating.

"The design of the R-7 Missile has been finalized," project leader Grushko reported to the Military Representative, "This will be the world's first true intercontinental ballistic missile, with a range exceeding 8,000 kilometers, capable of striking the Star-Spangled Country's mainland directly from our territory."

"Production schedule?" the Military Representative pressed.

"The first batch of five missiles will be completed within eight months and can be deployed within a year," Grushko replied, "It is worth noting that this missile shares most of its technology with our space rockets; the two projects promote each other and can significantly improve R&D efficiency."

The Military Representative nodded with satisfaction: "Very good, speed up the progress. The First Seat is paying special attention to this project; he believes that in the two fields of the space race and strategic deterrence, we cannot fall behind."

Just like that, in three corners of the world, three major powers were simultaneously conducting secret plans.

Interestingly, both the Star-Spangled Country and Beijixiong Guo believed they would be the first nation to conquer space, yet they were completely unaware that a "backward agricultural country" had already quietly taken the lead.

Back at the "Eastern Base" of Long Country, Li Mingyuan was leading his team in the first ignition test of the rocket engine.

On the test stand, the concise and powerful silhouette of the YF-1 Engine shimmered in the sunlight.

"Countdown begins! 10, 9, 8..." Inside the control room, the technicians stared nervously at the various parameters.

"... 3, 2, 1, ignition!"

With a deafening roar, accompanied by dazzling flames, the YF-1 Engine successfully ignited! The massive thrust caused the entire test stand to vibrate violently, but all structures remained as steady as a rock, perfectly withstanding the test.

A cheer erupted in the control room; Li Mingyuan's tense face finally relaxed, revealing a satisfied smile.

"Thrust 18.3 tons, combustion chamber pressure stable, turbopump operating normally, all parameters are within the expected range!" the data analyst reported excitedly.

The success of this test marked a key step forward for the "Changkong No. 1" project.

The successful ignition of the YF-1 Engine greatly boosted the morale of the "Eastern Base," but Li Mingyuan knew deeply that the rocket was only one part of the Space Project. To truly grasp the initiative in space, one also needed a pair of eyes capable of "seeing through" everything.

"Next step, Synthetic Aperture Radar." Li Mingyuan wrote these large characters in his personal notebook, then closed the book and stretched.

At three in the morning, most people at the base had already rested, but Li Mingyuan's "Thinking Center" remained brightly lit. He stood before the blackboard, the chalk in his hand moving rapidly across it, writing down complex formulas and charts.

"Pulse compression..." he muttered to himself, "Doppler filtering... phase correction..."

The blackboard was soon filled with dense formulas; these radar principles, which seemed quite complex even to modern people, were simply heavenly books in the fifties. Li Mingyuan stopped, stepped back a few paces, and admired his "work" with satisfaction.

"Those old guys are definitely going to be dumbfounded," he curled his lips into a smile, "But for now, sleep."

The next morning, Li Mingyuan summoned the top radio experts and signal processing engineers of the "Eastern Base." More than a dozen gray-haired old professors sat around the conference room, looking curiously at this young Chief Engineer.

"Everyone, today I want to announce a new project—Synthetic Aperture Radar," Li Mingyuan said straight to the point, "This will be a revolutionary earth-observation technology capable of seeing through cloud cover to obtain high-definition ground images at night and in adverse weather conditions."

The old professors looked at each other, their expressions shifting from confusion to skepticism. Finally, Professor Chen from the radio group couldn't help but speak: "Chief Engineer Li, if you'll pardon my bluntness, this sounds like science fiction. Existing radar resolution is limited by the antenna aperture; to achieve the effect you describe, the antenna would have to be too large to fit on any aircraft."

Li Mingyuan walked to the blackboard unhurriedly and picked up a piece of chalk: "Traditional thinking is indeed like that, but what if we utilize the movement of the flight platform to synthesize a virtual large-aperture antenna?"

He quickly wrote a series of formulas on the blackboard and explained: "By recording the echo signals received at each point along the flight path and then using complex signal processing algorithms, we can synthesize an antenna system with a huge equivalent aperture."

Professor Chen frowned and walked closer to the blackboard, studying the formulas carefully, when suddenly his eyes widened: "This... this is utilizing the Doppler effect and phase difference..."

"Exactly!" Li Mingyuan continued to explain, his voice carrying irrepressible excitement, "By precisely calculating the signal phase difference received at every point along the flight path, we can 'synthesize' a huge antenna array computationally."

Several old professors crowded in front of the blackboard and fell into a heated discussion. Some shook their heads, some exclaimed in wonder, and others began modifying the formulas on the blackboard, trying to find flaws.

"Even if it is theoretically feasible, the computational volume is astronomical," pointed out Professor Huang, who specialized in signal processing, "It requires complex Fourier transforms and phase corrections for every echo point; we don't have that kind of computing power."

Li Mingyuan smiled mysteriously: "That is why I have been secretly developing a special signal processing device at the 'Thinking Center'."

After the meeting ended, Li Mingyuan kept Professor Chen behind and took him to the "Thinking Center."

When Professor Chen saw that semi-finished Computer, his jaw nearly hit the floor: "This... what is this thing?"

"The computing power of the future," Li Mingyuan explained simply, "It can complete in a few hours calculations that would take months using traditional methods."

Professor Chen walked up to the machine and touched the circuit boards cautiously: "This doesn't look like vacuum tube technology..."

"Not vacuum tubes, but Transistors," Li Mingyuan replied, "Smaller, faster, and more reliable."

Professor Chen opened his mouth, unable to speak for a long time. As an experienced radio expert, he immediately realized the revolutionary significance of this technology.