Chapter 155 - 151 Citizenship_1

The space agency found the concept of the nuclear-powered vehicle quite sensible, but expressed skepticism about achieving a power output of 38KW with only 3.4 tons.

The greater the power, the greater the thermal pressure, and making it mobile as well—could Xinyuan really pull it off next year?

It’s true that Xinyuan Company is wealthy, but we’re talking about nuclear technology here. Even the space agency’s nuclear batteries are bought from Russia.

They also knew that Cheng Nankai was now in charge of Xinyuan’s nuclear department. His resume just barely qualified him as a novice nuclear physicist, which probably made him ill-suited for such an important role.

So even when Xinyuan recruited some not-so-critical nuclear experts from several universities, it wasn’t obstructed—because in their eyes, this team was unlikely to pull off such an advanced nuclear propulsion plan; whether the powerful nuclear-powered vehicle could become a reality was uncertain.

But, of course, if it did exist, that would be great. Then, the space agency could have a lunar mobile base, say about ten tons, with wheels to roam around. Astronauts could live inside, with airlocks for extravehicular activities. If the nuclear-powered vehicle was added to it, there would hardly be any worry about energy.

The Aerospace Development Committee could only continue discussing and debating. Since it was a project for next year, there was no need to rush.

After returning to the hotel, Lin Ju then heard about Masashi Okada’s situation.

As for this old Japanese man who was eager to defect and had already burnt his bridges with no way back, Lin Ju didn’t know what to do with him just yet.

Technically, Xinyuan certainly didn’t lack expertise, so the focus was whether the benefits brought by Okada would outweigh the cost.

As the chief designer of the H3 rocket, although H3 indeed suffered repeated failures, many reasons couldn’t really be blamed on Masashi Okada.

It’s like the Union’s N1 rocket failing four times in a row. Could you blame it all on the chief designer Korolyov?

No, because Korolyov only had the NK15 engine with a thrust of 150 tons at his disposal. What could he do without clustering them? Moreover, Korolyov had passed away years before. Had he been present, perhaps the quality control of the N1 wouldn’t have been so poor.

The same was true for JAXA. Investors kept thinking about low-cost launches with the H3 to compete with the Falcon 9 rocket, but Japan’s aerospace industry wasn’t that great in the first place. When something went wrong, it all fell on the chief engineer.

In the end, it all came down to Okada’s abilities.

After some thought, Lin Ju decided to call Guo Shen and have him draft a consulting contract for Okada as an external advisor to the research institute. They would see how it played out before making any further decisions.

Over an hour later, Lin Ju saw that the research institute had gained a B+ level engineer with a specialization in space propulsion technology.

B+ level! Except for using upgrade cards, the best engineer Lin Ju could recruit was at C+! Getting a C was already quite good.

To elevate an engineer from C to B+ would cost several hundred million!

Now with one more B+ on the team, totaling six, along with ten B-level engineers, adding another B+ level engineer was quite tempting.

Indeed, as a rocket chief designer chosen by a whole country, he did have some real skills.

After all, following the H3 rocket’s launch failure and Okada’s forced admission of fault, a man at the age of 43 looking almost like a man in his fifties or sixties showed that he had a sense of responsibility.

After deliberating for a night, Lin Ju went to the space agency the next day and entered the office of the Big Shot.

"You’re early, Lin. Did you have breakfast? Want to go down for a couple of buns? Our canteen is quite famous for its buns and porridge."

The Big Shot was surprised at Lin Ju’s visit, thinking he had come about the nuclear power vehicle project and felt Lin Ju was being too impatient.

But when Lin Ju brought up Masashi Okada’s matter, he gave an "Oh" and fell into thought.

He didn’t first ask why Lin Ju wanted to keep Okada, but after pondering for a while, he said,

"Masashi Okada is a free man and naturally has his reasons for choosing his work. Neither we nor JAXA have any reason to interfere. So, as long as he is willing, the worst that can happen is paying a penalty for breaking his contract with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries."

"However, I still want to remind you that Xinyuan’s identity is quite special. Rashly accepting a foreign engineer could pose risks."

Lin Ju: "To be honest, Okada’s abilities are very impressive. Our engineers have assessed him and found that JAXA actually limited his potential. His actual abilities are on par with Guo Shen and Androff. That’s why we want to keep him, and he is entirely willing;

"We can assure that any project Okada participates in will not involve the space agency or the military. They are strictly for civilian and commercial purposes. His main focus should be on spacecraft."

"That’s good. Since he is so determined, why not ask him if he has any intention of changing his nationality? After all, it’s unlikely he’ll ever go back to the Island Country."

"I’ll ask him about that."

...

"Nationality change? Really? Can I become Chinese?"

In his temporary quarters assigned at the B-level Base, Okada tossed and turned the whole night. The next morning, Guo Shen knocked on his door early, asking him if he wanted to change his nationality.

Although no one had said he would be accepted by Xinyuan, it was clear to Okada that things were pretty much settled. He excitedly asked three times in a row.

"Mr. Okada, this is not a mandatory request, it’s just a question we have put forward for work convenience in the future. Working here as a foreigner can be inconvenient in many respects."

"Of course I am willing! But I’ve heard that it is very hard to become a citizen of your country... Wait, your company is so big, there must be no problem. I’ve been learning fluent Chinese since last year, and I can even change my name. Being Chinese would be great."

Guo Shen was surprised by Okada’s excessive enthusiasm and also caught a hidden message: this old boy must have been planning to make a run for it last year, right?

However, it was good that Okada was willing to cooperate. Although obtaining Chinese citizenship is indeed difficult, Okada, with his special identity as a technical expert, could immigrate through an expedited process. Once he became a Chinese citizen, things would be much easier.

If he retained his Island Country citizenship, just dealing with visas and foreign affairs would be a heap of trouble.

Guo Shen immediately reported the news to Lin Ju, who in turn reported it up the chain.

The matter of Okada could be seen as both significant and minor.

The idea of a chief engineer of an important rocket from a national space agency defecting seems significant, but when you really think about it, a regular scientist from the Island Country immigrating for technical reasons isn’t all that extraordinary after years of globalization.

So, they waited for the higher-ups’ opinion, but the Big Shot told Lin Ju the matter was almost certainly a go, as it was completely normal in nature.

Of course, he also made a particular point: JAXA had a ninety to a hundred percent chance of demanding Okada’s extradition on grounds of espionage, but without evidence, it’s all bluster. Just make sure Okada doesn’t get caught in a compromising position.

Lin Ju was clearly aware of this and told Guo Shen to speak with Okada carefully. He might even have to meet with Okada personally. After all, why would Xinyuan need to steal JAXA’s technology?

While waiting for a response from the senior management, at 11 am that day, the Firm Spacecraft was launched from the Qiongzhou Space Launch Site.

As it was a fully commercial manned launch mission, the atmosphere was quite relaxed. Thirty minutes before the launch, the four crew members could even live stream and interact through computers on their seats.

Chen Jun kept bragging to the netizens about how great Xin’an’s new vehicle was and how it applied new technologies, not stopping at painting a rosy picture;

Chen Weizhang answered various questions calmly and amiably. As a traditional coal tycoon, what he wanted most in his old age was prestige. He tirelessly did good deeds and patiently addressed questions, perfectly seizing the opportunity;

Mae Mayu, whose Chinese was already quite good, had learned the essence of being an influencer in China: he enthusiastically praised infrastructure and the affordability of watermelons, only reluctantly saying goodbye to the netizens at the last moment.