Chapter 54: Beidou Navigation

The meeting was about to end, and Yang Can finally recovered.

"Leaders, I'm really sorry, I just made a fool of myself. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me—I will answer everything I know."

Everyone looked at her helplessly; the questions had already been answered, it was Qin Miao who answered for you!

"In the 1960s, we once carried out the Lighthouse Plan, but..." Huang Lao took a deep breath: "Now we are in a new era; our navigation satellite program needs to start over. I suggest making this project a sub-project of Project 8291, quickly produce a written report, and report it to our superiors. The project name..."

Hearing about the Lighthouse Plan, Qin Miao's heart was filled with mixed feelings.

In the 1960s, Qian Lao put forward a report on establishing a satellite research plan, and at that time he proposed several clear uses: geodetic satellites, communication and broadcast satellites, early-warning satellites, meteorological satellites, navigation satellites, and reconnaissance satellites.

Navigation satellites were not something only from the 80s or 90s; GPS wasn't the first either. Before this kind of satellite, the Americans had already developed sextant navigation satellites, using a dual-frequency Doppler velocity measurement positioning principle, with an accuracy of about fifty meters, but unfortunately it couldn't provide continuous positioning, often with gaps of one or two hours.

This sextant satellite remained in use until 1996 before exiting the historical stage, fully entering the GPS era.

After Dongfang Hong-1 echoed through space, in 1967 the Navy proposed developing navigation satellites; in 1968 the Lighthouse One Project was officially launched, planning to use a gravity-gradient boom for navigation, in polar orbit, with just four or five satellites capable of forming a global network.

By the late 1970s, the ground research and experiments of the Lighthouse One Satellite were basically completed, and all that remained was to wait for the satellite to be launched for testing—but……

The state needed to develop the economy, the army needed to endure, and this satellite project was therefore shelved. Anyway, in this era, more than one project has been abandoned—wasn't the Transport-10 also grounded?

Upon hearing the Lighthouse Plan, a familiar melody sounded in Qin Miao's mind: "You are a lighthouse, illuminating the ocean before dawn……"

"How about calling it Beidou?" Qin Miao spoke up.

Huang Lao's eyes lit up: "Exactly, let's call it Beidou Navigation!"

Many people present had complex expressions.

"Classmate Qin Miao, are you interested in joining this project?" Chen Lao asked from below.

"Leaders, this project is my senior sister's graduation thesis; I don't understand anything about it. Please invite her to join—I'm only a freshman, she's a senior, and she's about to start her internship."

Yang Can's eyes were full of excitement.

Although she was only a senior, it was now necessary to consider the issue of job assignment.

Nowadays, as long as you go to college you can get a job, which sounds nice, but… where there are people there is jianghu, and job assignments also have many intricacies!

Those with connections could be assigned to big cities like the capital and provincial capitals; those without connections would try every means to find connections and also want to stay in big cities. If sent to a small county town, how many years of struggle would it take to catch up with those who directly stayed in big cities?

For those studying aerospace, can staying in the Space Institute in a big city be the same as going to remote launch or measurement and control sites?

"Well, after Yang Can goes back, he will continue to refine this plan; we will report it to our superiors, and once they approve, Yang Can will also come to our Capital's Space Institute for an internship." Huang Lao finished speaking, then turned to Qin Miao: "Classmate Qin Miao, you also need to contribute!"

"Old Huang, I'm very interested in this project; from now on I'll take charge of it!" Chen Lao said.

The meeting finally ended! Qin Miao only felt his stomach growling with hunger; unconsciously, it was already past two in the afternoon!

Space Institute, cafeteria.

"Classmate Yang Can, tell us, how did you originally come up with the double-star positioning idea?"

"Classmate Yang Can, next we will conduct experiments at domestic ground satellite measurement and control stations; you had better first design an experimental plan."

"Classmate Yang Can……"

Chen Lao called Yang Can to his side and kept asking all kinds of questions; it was clear that Chen Lao was very interested in this project.

Qin Miao knew clearly that the principle of double-star navigation was actually first formally proposed by Chen Lao in 1983; although it's only now 1980, … this idea must have been brewing in Chen Lao's mind, it just hadn't formed into a clear logical structure.

Now, having heard Yang Can's paper, Chen Lao must have had an epiphany, great minds think alike, and he feels a kinship with Yang Can as a confidant.

With Chen Lao as a big tree to lean on, Yang Can's future path will be smooth sailing.

Later generations, Chen Lao proposed it in 1983, catching up with the 863 Plan, and finally in 1989 successfully demonstrated the feasibility of double-star positioning; but…… the country has always been poor, lacking funds, until 1993 after the Galaxy incident, when they realized the seriousness of lacking navigation and positioning, and in February 1994 the project was officially launched.

Now, seizing this good opportunity of the huge wave landing, it should be easier, right?

"Qin Miao, you really have a lot of stuff in your head!"

Qin Miao turned around, looked at Huang Lao, and said: "Old Huang, I'm just a little clever; please don't think too highly of me—this braised pork is really delicious……"

"Your senior sister's thesis, was it you who guided it?"

"Cough cough, you're overestimating me—how could that be possible!"

"Do you know that satellite navigation is of great significance to our country?"

"Hmm, I admit this: we must have satellite navigation, and the sooner we have it the better, so as not to be strangled by others."

"So you just want to hitch a ride on our Project 8291?"

"Cough cough cough……"

Looking at Qin Miao's expression, Huang Lao could already be completely certain; he sighed: "We will certainly do our best, but…… you also need to be mentally prepared—even if this project is placed within our Project 8291, it may not necessarily be approved, after all…… the state needs to develop the economy!"

Qin Miao frowned: "Old Huang, what if our aerospace department raises its own funds?"

"What a joke—our aerospace department has always relied on state appropriations to survive; where would the money come from if we tried to raise our own funds?"

Before Starship Company, all space projects in the world were money‑burners! They all needed state investment! If it weren't for the race to dominate space, how could the Americans possibly spend twenty percent of their total scientific research funds on something like the Apollo Program!

"How could there be none." Qin Miao said: "Our borders are open; taking on foreign satellite launch contracts would bring in money, or we could sell our own products……"

Setting aside other matters, big spenders are drooling over our Dongfeng-3—$100 million per piece, selling thirty‑five of them, with some mushroom‑thrown bombs tossed in, this deal is pure profit! Although we don't know how much of that money went to the space system back then, supporting a satellite navigation project shouldn't be a big problem, right?

"No way—that's not up to us to decide, and besides, how could a national heavyweight be sold?"

Huang Lao shook his head repeatedly.

"What about selling scrap—would that be okay?"