Chapter 421: Launch of the Beijixiong Guo Red Star

The atmosphere inside the command center became unusually grave yet exhilarating; everyone felt the historical responsibility on their shoulders.

Li Mingyuan walked to the main console and activated the base-wide broadcast: "Attention all personnel, 'Operation Skymask' has officially entered the final preparation stage. Each team is to take their positions according to the predetermined plan and enter a state of alert. In 36 hours, we will welcome the moment of the decisive battle."

His voice was firm and powerful, echoing throughout the base: "Remember, we represent not only Long Country, but also a brand-new strategic thinking for space. After we succeed, we will silently change the world landscape."

After the broadcast ended, Li Mingyuan returned to his office, opened a bottle of treasured white liquor, and had a drink by himself. In his past life, he could only watch others launch rockets on the internet; but now, he was about to rewrite the history of the space race with his own hands.

This feeling is fucking awesome!

……

3:00 AM, Beijixiong Guo launch site.

Everything was proceeding in a tense and orderly fashion. Liquid oxygen fueling was complete, and the final system checks were underway. Inside the control center, Korolyov stared at the countdown display in front of him—15 minutes until launch.

"Report status of all systems," he ordered.

"Guidance System normal."

"Propulsion system normal."

"Satellite system normal."

The heads of each system reported one after another; everything seemed to be going according to plan.

Korolyov took a deep breath: "Begin the final countdown sequence."

"Ten minutes..."

The atmosphere in the control center became unusually tense; everyone held their breath, fearing that a small movement of their own might affect this historic moment.

In Moshi, inside a special conference room at the Kremlin, the Chairman and members were watching the launch preparations via a live broadcast.

"We will make history," the Chairman said confidently, eyes flashing with anticipation.

"Five minutes..."

Korolyov confirmed the status of all systems once more, then nodded to the Communication Officer: "Report to the Chairman, everything is normal, we are ready for launch."

"One minute..."

The control center was silent, with only the sound of the countdown echoing in the air.

"Ten, nine, eight..."

Korolyov's fingers hovered above the launch button; he could feel the sound of his own heartbeat.

"... three, two, one, ignition!"

Accompanied by a startling boom, the bottom of the "Red Star" rocket spewed dazzling flames and slowly lifted off. A burst of cheers erupted in the control center, but Korolyov immediately signaled for everyone to be quiet—the rocket launch was only the first step; the real challenge was still ahead.

"Rocket attitude normal, speed increasing as planned."

"Altitude 1 kilometer, everything normal."

"Altitude 10 kilometers, entering the thin atmosphere."

Everything was progressing smoothly, and the rocket climbed steadily, flying toward its predetermined orbit.

"Preparing for first-stage separation."

"Three, two, one, separation!"

At an altitude of about 80 kilometers above the ground, the first stage of the rocket completed its mission and separated cleanly. Almost simultaneously, the second-stage Engine ignited, continuing to push the rocket toward space.

The tense atmosphere in the control center eased slightly, but everyone knew the most critical moment had not yet arrived.

"Altitude 180 kilometers, speed 7.8 kilometers per second, about to reach orbital velocity."

"Second stage working normally, thrust stable."

"Speed 7.9 kilometers per second, orbital requirements met!"

Korolyov clenched his fists, his eyes flashing with the light of Victory: "Prepare for satellite separation!"

"Satellite separation system activated, countdown starting."

"Five, four, three, two, one, separation!"

In the Silence of space, the "Dawn" satellite gently detached from the rocket and began its journey through space.

The control center erupted in warm applause and cheers; Korolyov was surrounded by team members, each wanting to embrace the hero who had brought Beijixiong Guo into the space age.

"Satellite attitude stable, beginning activation of all systems."

"Solar panels deployed, power supply sufficient."

"Radio beacon activated, signal strength normal."

The first batch of telemetry data transmitted back from the satellite showed that everything was normal. Korolyov let out a long breath, a tired but satisfied smile appearing on his face.

"Prepare for the first image transmission test," he ordered.

"Image system activated, beginning capture of Earth's surface images."

A large screen in the control center lit up, and everyone looked forward to seeing the first photograph of Earth ever taken from space in history.

However, the screen only displayed a patch of snowy noise, without any recognizable image.

"What's going on?" Korolyov frowned.

"The signal seems to be experiencing interference; we are attempting to adjust the reception parameters," the communication engineer replied, fingers moving rapidly across the console.

"Try the backup channel," Korolyov ordered.

The engineer quickly switched to the backup channel, but the situation did not improve at all—the screen still showed only snowy noise.

"It could be abnormal solar activity causing ionospheric disturbance," a scientist speculated.

Korolyov frowned: "Continue monitoring, and at the same time, attempt to re-establish the image data link."

In the special conference room at the Kremlin, the Chairman's expression changed from joy to confusion: "What is going on? Why can't we see the image?"

The Communication Officer explained nervously: "Technical malfunction, Comrade. They are working hard to troubleshoot."

The Chairman's face darkened: "Tell Korolyov I want to see results within an hour."

……

At the same time, the Puluomixiusi base in the Star-Spangled Country was also busily carrying out final preparations. Although the launch time was more than an hour later than that of Beijixiong Guo, Doctor Bulaide had no idea that his competitor had already taken the lead.

"Final check complete, all systems normal," the rocket director reported to Bulaide.

Bulaide nodded: "Very good, proceed according to plan."

He glanced at the clock—4:00 AM, 30 minutes until launch. If everything went smoothly, Sentinel One would soon become the first artificial satellite in human history.

The President was in the Tuoyuanying Bangongshi in Washington City, watching the launch preparations via a secure line. Several high-ranking Military officials and scientific advisors were with him, the atmosphere both tense and excited.

"Doctor Bulaide," the President said via video link, "the people of the nation are waiting for this moment. Do not let us down."

Bulaide straightened his back: "I guarantee the mission will be completed, sir."

The launch countdown began.

"Ten minutes..."

All non-essential personnel within the base had already evacuated to the safety zone, leaving only the Hexin technical team operating in the control center.

"Five minutes..."

Bulaide confirmed the status of all systems once more; everything was normal. At this moment, the Dawn satellite of Beijixiong Guo had already been operating in orbit for nearly two hours, but he knew nothing of this.