Chapter 402 - 393: Rare Earth_1

"The world’s largest communication satellite is set to be launched aboard the ’Super Qinglong’ rocket"

"The third largest private spaceflight rocket in our country is about to make its maiden flight, and Blue Sword Aerospace will essentially become the second."

"..."

On June 2, the "Zhongxing 100" communication satellite—the world’s largest geosynchronous orbit commercial communication satellite—was officially announced to be shipped from Jingu, heading to Qiongzhou for launch.

This is a super satellite weighing 12 tons with a communication capacity of over 600Gbps. With its solar panels extended, it reaches nearly 55 meters in length, making it the most powerful commercial communication satellite to date.

It was initially a 7-ton product, spurred by the ’Meridian’ satellite network, and was planned to be launched by the CZ-7A Rocket to a geosynchronous transfer orbit of 29,000+ kilometers, then it would climb to a geostationary orbit of 36,000 kilometers by itself.

However, Blue Sword Aerospace’s Qinglong No.2 rocket presented an alternative solution, the CBC-configured "Super Qinglong," which, except for the central core, has a recoverable LEO capacity of 65 tons and can directly send payloads over 20 tons to GTO.

Considering the necessity and support for private aerospace initiatives, the "Zhongxing 100" launch mission was assigned to the "Super Qinglong."

The "Super Qinglong"’s specs essentially match those of the Heavy Falcon, and this launch will be its debut. Blue Sword Aerospace meticulously applied a beautiful paint job, readying it for a launch planned around the 10th.

Starting now, Qiongzhou has entered the typhoon season.

Typhoon "Miaobai," the second of the season, is expected to make landfall in the Southern Fujian Region after June 12. From then until August, the third to twelfth typhoons are predicted to form sequentially. Though not all typhoons will land in Qiongzhou, their impact cannot be ignored.

Fortunately, the good news is that following New Yuan’s decision to add a launch site in Jiuquan, the Aerospace Development Committee also decided to concurrently build a new commercial space launch site there. Most medium-sized rockets could be launched from this location, and although there would be some loss of lifting capacity, it is acceptable and certainly better than the lower latitude offered by the problematic Baikonur.

"Super Qinglong" is the most powerful rocket among private aerospace companies in the country, excluding New Yuan, but Lingxi Space Communication Technology may possess the strongest technological capabilities.

The latter is now very prominent, having received investment and technical support from New Yuan. Their initial batch of 20 satellites has been contracted out to another private spaceflight company’s "Hyperbola Three" rocket, aiming for a September launch.

Since New Yuan and the Space Agency have readily sold engines and control technology, these companies don’t have to follow the original timeline of starting with small solid rockets. From the beginning, they can work with recoverable medium and small rockets, taking a variety of small satellite launch orders until they’re swamped, with two companies already on the verge of transitioning from being solely investor-funded to turning a profit.

"All of this is thanks to the strong support of Director Lin!"

In the Capital, the nominal leaders of privately owned aerospace enterprises gathered for a networking dinner, and Lin Ju, who happened to be there, awaiting the arrival of Storm, joined them.

Storm is now accelerating for a direct atmospheric re-entry to Earth, requiring only 14 hours to reach its destination, with a planned landing on the grasslands by tomorrow afternoon.

Lin Ju eagerly anticipated the rewards the system would provide. Such an important event surely warranted something like fusion technology, right?

While pondering the system’s rewards, Lin Ju also dealt with various leaders who continually approached him, clearly becoming the center of attention at the dinner.

These companies were genuinely grateful to New Yuan, which had almost voluntarily stepped back from the medium and small satellite launch market. The vast majority of orders were self-produced and consumed; otherwise, there would be no room for them to grow: SpaceX, with its Falcon 9, had nearly monopolized the American launch market, making it more convenient for New Yuan to operate.

After recognizing almost everyone in the room, Lin Ju, in response to popular demand, decided to share a vision.

"New Yuan is actively engaged in lunar exploration, as you all may have heard."

The people around nodded vigorously; they knew much more than just rumors, considering how many Explorers there were on the Moon!

Lin Ju continued, "We aim not only to send humans to the Moon. I can responsibly tell you that New Yuan will spare no effort in engaging in the mining, smelting, and transporting of lunar rare earth elements. This is a grand plan that could reach a trillion in scale, and it will be open to everyone without restrictions.

Within the next five years, the amount of rare earth elements obtained from the Moon will surpass the volume mined on Earth."

"A trillion?" "And they’ll be brought back?" "More than Earth’s output, that’s really..."

"..."

This huge promise immediately stirred up the room like a bustling market, with people whispering and vigorously debating. Director Lin patiently waited for everyone to quiet down before continuing to outline his vision, disregarding the various emotions in their eyes:

"Transporting minerals from the Moon is not a pipe dream. Take our Storm, for example, it can carry over 50 tons of refined rare metals as it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere, or future SSTOs, and small spaceplanes, which might carry several tons each time. But with metals like iridium, osmium, and rhenium, it would only take a few trips to meet the current annual global demand.

More ores can create more markets. The influx of lunar resources might expand this market by tenfold, and it definitely has great potential."

Lin Ju outlined the enormous industry chain of lunar mining and transport, from initial construction to later profits. These were plans the base already had in place, which left no room for counterarguments and lit up the eyes of the audience with excitement.

He paused for dramatic effect as he prepared his final reveal:

"Everyone should remember a detail from the Chang’e 4 mission. According to the comprehensive assessment of satellites and probes, the Aitken Basin is estimated to have more than 21 quadrillion tons of metal ores, including 220 million tons of rare metals. Moreover, according to international research, the Stormy Oceanic Cliffs possibly hold up to 45 billion tons of rare earth reserves."

The others nodded in agreement; this was public information, though not highly valuable.

The total rare earth elements on Earth amount to barely 130 million tons. At first glance, the Moon seems to be extraordinarily rich in elements, but for instance, the rare earth ores in the Aitken Basin are buried at a depth of—300 kilometers underground.

Obviously, at such depths, it’s impossible to see any potential for utilization; it’s just a curiosity.

"Now I must say, according to our probes’ continuous exploration over the past year in the Aitken Basin area, a large surface metal group has been discovered, buried less than a thousand meters deep. Thirteen rare elements have been identified, and the estimated reserves exceed 60,000 tons.

The exact location is not yet convenient to disclose, but I can responsibly tell you that just these deposits are worth over 10 trillion RMB, and these are all minable resources!

A thousand meters is deep, but not out of reach. New Yuan is already planning the development work."