Chapter 221 - 215 CZ-10 Transportation_1

Material and technological issues totaled 97 questions, which a luxurious research team composed of all Level A, B+, and B-level members solved in just 96 hours under the system’s unscientific haste.

Of course, the cost was an astonishing "consulting fee" of 10.2 billion yuan.

In fact, Lin Ju didn’t really lose out; if these 43 experts didn’t terminate their external contracts, even if their research directions weren’t closely related to aerospace, they could still bring a slight increase in research speed.

But when the 10.2 billion yuan bill was sent over, the superiors were very surprised, yet they immediately inquired about how much of the problem had been solved by the expert group.

The result was a checklist of technical and material difficulties, with each item on the list checked off.

The company responsible for supplying chemical raw materials verified formulas and processes overnight. It was the first category to complete technical validation, confirming that the call from "overseas Chinese" was effective. The chemicals they synthesized were of a type that only Shin-Etsu Chemical in the Island Country could produce, and it had always been highly secretive.

When asked, the experts responsible for answering the phone all said that the person on the other end was very professional, spoke very standard English, with some having a slight accent, and then they knew nothing more.

Because it used the Meridian satellite network, New Yuan declined to provide specific positioning for security and personal safety reasons, and it was impossible to find out who exactly was on the other end. As for English proficiency, which top professional in this industry doesn’t speak standard English?

Due to the unanimous demeanor and consistent answers from the 43 experts when questioned, it was ultimately concluded that there might exist a world-class organization similar to the Freemasons, comprising top talents from various industries with powerful technical skills and secret whereabouts. They act with discretion and might selectively share the results of secret research through certain individuals (specifically referring to a certain factory director), are patriotic, yet also seek personal gains.

Considering New Yuan’s incredibly advanced technical sources and the legendary rich experience database, it suggests that the members of this mysterious organization are spread globally, to a fearfully extensive degree.

It may even be based on a tradition with strong constraints, enabling them to keep secrets without any leaks.

The reason for supporting Lin Ju might indeed be due to the fact that the independent satellite network operated by New Yuan allows for unrestricted communication, using ternary systems to block malicious surveillance...

Unknowingly, a mysterious and powerful organization emerged in the official investigation bureau’s reports, causing shock among the higher-ups, yet also compelling them to believe in its existence and strive to maintain a good relationship.

So, regarding the 10.2 billion yuan bill, it was approved for direct payment.

The payment method involved a joint loan of 15 billion yuan to New Yuan Aeronautics by the four major banks, interest-free, to be repaid in installments over fifty years, starting twenty years later.

Don’t doubt it; it’s practically a gift. The favoritism could not be more apparent – they might just find an excuse to cancel the debt at any time.

And 15 billion yuan isn’t expensive. To try to achieve technical breakthroughs on their own would take at least five or six years, and the cost would certainly exceed this figure.

However, Lin Ju’s identity has become even more important in the eyes of the superiors. Young and able to maintain relations with the mysterious organization, he provides many advanced technologies not yet seen in the world. His motives are unclear for now, but he appears friendly.

Maintaining this relationship, at least, seems far more beneficial than detrimental.

...

July 30.

At the Jingou Rocket Manufacturing Base, seven road transport trailers consecutively departed from the base, carrying large red and white painted containers toward the Jingu Port.

These seven extra-long containers were to be shipped to Qiongzhou by sea, as their width exceeded the limits of rail transport.

This rocket is the CZ-10, the core of the Dawn Project, a giant rocket that will execute the manned lunar mission.

After 10 straight months of work, the aerospace bureau, with an unprecedented level of resources and support, forced into existence a giant rocket with a lift-off weight exceeding 3,600 tons and a thrust of 5,100 tons.

What rockets are currently in service at the aerospace bureau? They are the CZ-3B and the CZ-2F. After continuous improvements, these two types of rockets have nearly reached a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) payload of 14 tons.

The CZ-10’s LEO payload capacity is 120 tons, that number having been turned over more than eightfold.

In another timeline, on November 3rd of this year, the CZ-5 rocket completed its maiden flight.

The CZ-10, which was approved six years after the CZ-5, will have its debut flight nearly three months before the CZ-5.

The endlessly burning funds were not wasted, and the crazy overtime work at the Jingou Rocket Manufacturing Base was not in vain. All necessary test procedures were followed without skipping a single one, every required process was duly completed, and the CZ-10 was delivered on schedule for its first flight between August 12th and 15th at the Qiongzhou Aerospace Launch Center.

Perhaps because it had been outstripped by the two unscrupulous giants, New Yuan-2A and New Yuan No. 3, the CZ-10’s transfer process was quite high-profile and was not concealed in the slightest.

Currently, the world’s number one rocket is the New Yuan No. 3, the second is New Yuan-2A, the third is the yet-to-launch CZ-10, and the fourth is the Heavy Falcon.

Even if the SLS rocket has its maiden flight in December, the block 1 version will only reach a meager fourth place with a 70-ton LEO capacity.

If we discount New Yuan, the space bureau’s maverick player, the CZ-10 is solidly in first place.

Even if the SLS has a block 2 upgrade that can reach a payload capacity of over 130 tons, the CZ-10, if its second stage’s four YF77 engines were replaced with the prospective 220-ton-class YF90 high-pressure staged combustion hydrolox engines, achieving a specific impulse of 443 seconds, would then have an LEO payload capacity of 150 tons instead of 120 tons.

In any case, the advantages of liquid rocket engines are clear; the overall payload coefficient is indeed high. Even with the space bureau’s conservative overall design, it remains the global leader excluding New Yuan.

When the August 1st CCTV news broadcast the scenes of external celebrations, it was followed by the sight of 7 large, already loaded containers. The longest five containers measured up to 50 meters, making the reporter on the ship seem tiny in comparison.

On the outside of these containers, besides the CASA logo, there was a simplified icon of the Shenzhou Spaceship and a line of blue text: China Manned Space.

The reporter announced proudly:

"The core rocket of the first phase of the Dawn Project, independently developed by our country, with an LEO payload capacity reaching 120 tons, surpasses the giant Saturn V rocket utilized by America for their lunar landing last century. The CZ-10 has officially been transported out of the Jingou Rocket Manufacturing Base and is being shipped to Qiongzhou.

It took only 10 months from approval to production of the CZ-10 rocket, with more than 20,000 individuals involved in its manufacture, achieving breakthroughs in over a hundred key technologies."

At the end, the reporter, remembering it was a live broadcast, couldn’t help but add an unplanned comment:

"The CZ-10 rocket is expected to have its maiden flight in mid-August, while America’s giant rocket designated for lunar landing may not have its first flight until 4 months later."