Chapter 283 - 276 MAV_1

"Russia is giving up on the Yenisei rocket?!"

Both Lin Ju and Xie Liaofu were at a loss for words when they learned that the RKA was very likely to pick up the Energy 2 project to complete the Union’s legacy.

Although its potential was much smaller than vertical recovery technology, it was indeed a viable method, which further confirmed the legend that Russia’s technological development entirely depended on archaeological discoveries.

However, Lin Ju actually felt it was quite good. If it meant resorting to archaeology, so be it, as it also adds pressure on the rest of the world.

Now, with America, the European Space Agency, India/Island Country, the space agency, Russia, and New Yuan, there were a total of six moon landing plans of the 2020s, making the second space race too crowded and much more competitive than the first one.

Moreover, the stakes had risen: the latest version of the race involved sending a large number of non-professional astronauts into space, something the previous ones couldn’t achieve.

On December 6th, Unity had its most scientifically significant launch to date.

Five experts from various aspects of the space agency embarked on a seven-day space journey aboard Unity.

The mission used the New Yuan 5B rocket, which was as stable as ever, with the space agency’s space hero Li Sheng as the mission commander, escorting the five scientists.

Apart from him, the five people had an average age of 57 years, with the oldest being 62—not too old by any means—and none of them exhibited discomfort entering space, maintaining good health throughout the journey.

What made them special was their identity: they virtually represented all aspects of rocket and spacecraft design and manufacturing, stronger than the space capabilities of some small countries combined.

One could say that any of these five could independently start a space company and have it be comprehensive in every aspect. If they were sent to Mars, perhaps they could even attempt to build a rocket on-site?

Even more special, apart from the customary wills, the five left behind an extraordinary item—blueprints for a Mars lander, "Zhurong" (Mars Ascent Vehicle, MAV, for short).

Zhurong’s lander had a mass of about 50 tons and was essentially a short, stout rocket capable of vertical landing and recovery. It could carry seven crew members from the Martian surface to dock with a spacecraft in near-Mars orbit and land. It could also perform rapid maneuvers on the Martian surface for extensive reconnaissance.

The basic architectural design of the Zhurong lander was simple, but the considered factors were indeed comprehensive and thoughtful. In reality, it was entirely possible to develop a usable true MAV based on it.

Leaving the jointly designed spacecraft as their last legacy before going into space truly reflects the unique romance of the spacefarers.

However, Lin Ju knew that for landing on Mars, this contraption definitely wouldn’t be necessary; the XN-90 spacecraft was much stronger than the MAV. With Mars’s weak gravity and thin atmosphere, that was where the XN90 truly shined.

In the gravitational environments of the Moon and Mars, the XN90’s usable payload was not as pitiful as the 20 tons on Earth; in fact, it could reach about 100 tons.

NACA would definitely need to use such a design since they didn’t have revolutionary engines like NAPE, unless they also planned to use Starship as a lander.

...

Kennedy Space Center.

"The SLS rocket has 7,300 items that need to undergo quality checks, and I want you to check each one 7,300 times to ensure it’s as powerful, precise, complex, yet reliable as the Saturn V, not bringing any risks to our astronauts!"

Claire, with bloodshot eyes and wearing a white safety helmet, inspected the SLS assembly plant, occasionally spot-checking inspection items, even though it was already 10 p.m.

On November 29th, the day before the Pioneer’s launch, the SLS rocket arrived at the Kennedy Space Center for assembly.

From the Space Shuttle to Ares V and then SLS—if you trace the origins, SLS really shouldn’t have taken so long, but restoring manufacturing and research capabilities also needed considerable time. The current pace was already fast enough.

However, for NACA, the stimulus from the other side of the ocean was like a needle in their back, forcing them to run forward.

On November 27th, Lightning Number launched, followed by Pioneer on the 30th, and with Russia also stirring the pot by reviving Energy 2, the pressure was tremendous.

The assembly of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft was completed, but Claire insisted on conducting repeated fault checks for ten days, even with night shifts, to ensure absolute reliability of the rocket.

Although it was all mature technology, a completely new development of the core stage wasn’t a minor change, and with the unprecedented urgency, Claire was very worried about accidental mishaps.

Even if they had to delay for another month, it would be better than blowing up the rocket, as the wasted time could likely extend to half a year.

The launch date for the Artemis I mission had been set, with the first flight planned for December 12th—exactly four months after CZ-10’s maiden flight.

Although it was somewhat delayed, there was also exciting good news.

After a year of frantic funding injection, the manufacturers providing various components for the SLS began to expand their workforce and equipment. NACA’s employment surged by 25%, and their manufacturing capabilities were rapidly increasing.

According to internal estimates, the second and third SLS rockets would have manufacturing cycles of eight months and seven months, respectively. The fourth SLS rocket could potentially have its maiden flight in July 2018, and the manufacturing time might be reduced to four months!

Of course, that was still nothing compared to NACA’s heyday; during the Apollo program from 1967 to 1970, NACA launched a total of 19 Saturn V rockets, with an average manufacturing time of less than two months—terrifyingly fast.

Even with the rapid expansion of rocket manufacturing capabilities through US dollars, NACA would not be able to match that production strength in the short term, but it was still sufficient.

Other military-industrial complexes also noticed this and were egging Congress on to continue producing the SLS to replace Ma’s Starship plan.

The six SLS rocket launch missions for the Artemis program were based on a total of 24 RS25 engines dismantled from the Space Shuttle and from stock, with four being discarded with each flight. However, Rockdain indicated that they could produce new RS25 engines.

The old RS25 engines, designed for the reusable Space Shuttle, were very expensive at over 60 million US dollars each. Rockdain claimed that the disposable version, the RS25E, could increase thrust by 18% while lowering the unit cost to between 12 and 20 million US dollars, to support more SLS launches.

They also provided reasons to continue producing the SLS: according to the current budget usage for the Artemis program, the cost of a single SLS launch would be as high as 4.8 billion US dollars, but the more they launch, the cheaper it gets!

Claire knew they wanted the Mars program to continue using the SLS rocket, but it still seemed too expensive to her; after all, Ma’s entire Starship project was only going to cost 3 billion US dollars.

However, all he could do was support the development of the Starship—Super Heavy and hope that SpaceX would bring a surprise just like the Falcon 9 did.

The Pentagon is preparing the "Star Chain" project, right? Just give all the launch tasks to Falcon 9.