Chapter 360 - 352: Super Heavy-Lift Booster_1

The status of the C832 is unquestionable. Although there are countless machines with higher technical content at the base, once the C832 enters the market, it will definitely cause a seismic shift.

It’s not just passenger transport; civil freight is also a massive market.

Not to mention, this is the aircraft that the national carrier has pre-ordered as a dedicated transport for leaders.

But of course, not this prototype. The task of the prototype is to conduct high-intensity test flights to find design flaws and the flight envelope, and to set flight safety indicators.

The lifespan of a prototype is usually very short. Not only does the aircraft have to withstand all kinds of harsh treatments from test pilots, but it also often undergoes modifications, and the shorter ones are scrapped in just a few years.

However, the seniors could already envision the image of the blue and white C832 special aircraft. Like Boeing and Airbus aircraft, the C832 has its own unique style that gives off an imposing feel. Although its fuselage diameter is actually a bit larger than that of other aircraft in its class, the external layout of the fuselage makes it look even bigger.

The windshield design was also done with great care, making the aircraft look more dignified from the front, which was clearly intentional by the design team.

The design team took him directly into the cabin of the passenger aircraft for a tour. Inside, apart from the seats, the interior was basically installed, and the twin-aisle wide-body design gave it a very spacious interior.

"This aircraft, it’s going to be test-flown soon, right?"

"The date for the maiden flight has been set. It still needs more than ten days of testing, but it should be able to make its maiden flight on May 1st."

After receiving the reply from the chief designer of the C832, the senior was very pleased and stayed in the cabin for a long time. In the end, he commented, "This is an advanced large passenger aircraft," and then the following filming crew prepared to shoot additional interior footage; who knows how much will be pixelated when it’s released.

In addition to the C832, the senior also took a thorough look at the Storm and the YM-12 Forging Machine, giving both extremely high evaluations.

After an exceedingly satisfactory visit, the group stayed at the base for dinner, and afterward, a passenger plane would land directly at the base to take them back to Beijing.

During the brief rest after dinner, the top executives of New Yuan and a few leaders found a quiet little compartment, as if by tacit understanding.

The senior got straight to the point, first discussing semiconductor matters.

"The Science and Technology Commission has talked with several manufacturers and obtained quite a few patent authorizations and good stuff. Are you sure New Yuan really doesn’t need any of it?"

Lin Ju knew about the dealings at the upper levels and had received a list, but since there was nothing that the base needed, he hadn’t spoken up.

After getting a confirmatory answer again, one of the leaders nodded:

"In June, there will be a comprehensive support package for private aerospace companies. Yours will consist purely of financial support. In addition, there will be subsidies from both the central and local high-tech enterprise funds, and local government policy support funds, tallying up to approximately 22 billion yuan, which are expected to be in place over the next eight months.

"Ah, actually, we’re the ones taking advantage of you; nearly half of it is what you deserve."

"No, no, no, this is already more than enough for New Yuan," Lin said.

Lin Ju and Ye Changsi exchanged a glance, knowing that the financing for the supersonic business jet was secured.

This would increase New Yuan’s funds by over ten billion yuan in 2017, allowing the acceleration of many plans.

Next were some domestic and international arrangements requiring New Yuan’s cooperation, as well as a strong emphasis on strengthening the defense and confidentiality of Qingshan Base. Since it was a secret meeting, discussions progressed quickly, or rather, there had already been a plan in place, and it was now just being confirmed.

Before boarding the plane, the senior’s last remark was:

"Lin, you need to resolve your personal issues soon."

Lin Ju: "..."

...

"LeEco (300104) received a notice from its controlling shareholder Jia Yuetin, stating that Jia’s directly held shares of LeEco were all frozen."

"Faraday Future Aerospace insider leak: The thirty-billion factory is empty, with fewer than 50 employees."

"Sources say that LeEco’s major shareholder has been reducing his shareholdings over the past year."

"..."

On April 10th, Faraday Future Aerospace, an internet industry giant, made explosive headlines as its stock price plummeted and it became embroiled in an investigation crisis overnight.

While most people were still in shock, only Lin Ju knew that LeEco’s collapse came three months earlier than in the original timeline. He speculated that this was likely due to Mr. Jia, who, in addition to investing in automobiles, had also attempted to venture into aerospace, leading to an early break in the capital chain.

During his time in Beijing, Lin Ju had met with Mr. Jia, who, undaunted by the domestic...as the world’s first private astronaut, was enthusiastic about his plans and even hoped that New Yuan would invest in Faraday Future.

Along with LeEco’s downfall, SpaceX’s Starship SN8 prototype was another casualty.

The prototype had completed a 15-kilometer-high altitude test flight but failed upon landing due to excessive speed, causing the landing gear to break. After crashing, it burst into flames and exploded after burning for several minutes.

The SN8 was already close to what Musk envisioned for the final version, but that was only structurally; it still had a long way to go internally.

The B6 heavy booster, intended for use during Starship launches, had already been completed. It had no less than 33 Raptor 1 engines installed, producing a total thrust of 6,100 tons.

Due to time constraints, Musk had no time to wait for the somewhat rough Raptor 1 to upgrade to Raptor 2 before mass production. Instead, he had set up a production line for the Raptor 1, and in the past two months, a total of 58 engines had been produced, very close to the goal of producing one engine per day.

The engineers from NACA were quite concerned about the B6. While the rocket technology was fairly robust, 33 engines were being used in conjunction, without any protective shields...

Initially, NACA suggested separating the 33 engines with Kevlar fiber partitions, to prevent a malfunction in one engine from affecting another, and also to install protective covers like those on the N1 rocket to cover the bottom of the rocket.

However, Musk crunched the numbers for the labor time required and rejected the suggestion, opting instead to arrange the 30+ engines tightly against each other in a 20+10+3 configuration, where the outermost nozzles were almost touching.

The nine Merlin engines on the Falcon 9 have wider spacing than this, and that’s for engines with an 80-ton thrust each—these were 185-ton thrust engines!

The B6 booster, amid NACA’s concerns, was shipped from the factory to SpaceX’s newly built launch pad, opting not to crowd the two launch sites at Kennedy Space Center. After all, the B6 booster was filled with four thousand tons of liquid oxygen and methane; if it exploded, launch pads 39A and 39B would no longer be available for the SLS rocket...

Conducting tests on the booster, which is the first stage of the rocket, was a consensus between Musk and NACA. The B6 booster weighed about 4000 tons, and its upper stage could carry a mass of 800 tons. Even without installing the Starship Spacecraft, it could be modified to serve as a giant rocket’s first stage, with the Saturn V’s second and third stages weighing only 600 tons.

NACA had calculated that by adding just a second stage to the B6, at least 175 tons could be delivered to low Earth orbit (without recovering the first stage), and even in a recovery state, it could carry 120 tons, equivalent to one Saturn V rocket.