Chapter 423 - 414 Plan Has Changed_1

"The ’Blue Moon’ lander has completed fueling in lunar orbit."

"According to a NACA spokesperson, yesterday the HLS Human Landing System for the Artemis program docked with a subsequently launched fueling module in lunar orbit and successfully transferred over 22 tons of fuel.

This is humanity’s first mission to refuel a spacecraft in lunar orbit, and the spokesperson said, ’The complexity and advanced nature of the Artemis II mission could be considered ’the greatest in history,’ and it will further...’"

Academician She turned down the volume of his notebook and took out the satellite map, feeling something was not quite right.

The SLS rocket arrived at the launch station two days earlier than expected, and preparations have been underway for almost a week, yet NACA still hasn’t announced a launch date.

It’s now the morning of June 30th, with just the final 24 hours before the launch of Dawn III, they should have given up by now.

The Americans’ intentions are not easy to guess, but the first place is already half in our own hands, and beneath the calm waves of the world is a raging undercurrent.

Looking at the time, he walked out of the guesthouse, ready to go to the launch site for the interview.

Ten minutes later, CCTV reporters and cameramen carefully avoided various working areas under the guidance of the staff of the Launch Management Bureau, collecting footage for the evening broadcast.

Academician She walked at the forefront, unhurriedly. He now stood at the top of the final assembly building, almost level with the fairing of the CZ-10A Remote Three.

The fairing has already been closed and is being painted with the letters of CNSA and CADC.

Because the Dawn spaceship’s diameter is the same as the rocket’s body and it needs to top a lander, it requires a larger diameter fairing; this extra fairing is not needed when only launching the spacecraft.

Academician She stopped in front of the rocket and slowly sighed:

"In 1970, our first satellite ’Dongfang Hong I’ entered space. At that time, the Island Country launched a small object weighing a few kilograms just to spite us and took away the title of Asia’s first satellite.

But what’s there to snatch? In the eight or nine years before that, the Union and America had sent humans into space and in ’69 took humans to the Moon.

Our national power had just begun developing when Sir Qian, based on the CZ-7A Rocket, designed two types of manned spacecraft and planned to develop a giant rocket capable of landing on the Moon in the next decade. This was the original CZ-10, and the entire plan was called the Dawn Project.

The first group of astronauts was selected from that time, but it took thirty years to see our country’s astronauts enter space."

Reporter (quietly): "This probably shouldn’t be recorded, right?"

"Haha, I was just speaking my mind. Back then, I was just a young man, and now I’m close to retirement."

Academician She coughed twice and started to get to the point:

"The success of the New Dawn Project was determined by the great technological development brought by forty years of openness, as well as the improvement in our spirit and overall material needs, in..."

...

"Can NACA provide the specific launch date for the Artemis II mission?"

"We will launch in the near future."

"How soon is the near future?"

"The near future is the right time."

The TASS reporter took a deep breath and pressed one last time, his face taut:

"And how is the right time determined?"

"NACA has its own schedule and plan, please be patient."

The spokesperson’s load of nonsense elicited a chorus of "booing" from the reporters, shaking their heads.

Just now, the Aerospace Development Committee announced that the launch date for the CZ-10A Remote Three Rocket has been finalized for the morning of July 1st, and the three astronauts also made an appearance in Qiongzhou.

Now the whole world is discussing moon landings, and everyone already knows the exact date for Dawn III, but what about NACA’s?

Last night NACA said they would hold a press conference, but after waiting two hours, they suddenly cancelled it and then hastily arranged one in the morning under the intense dissatisfaction of the reporters.

Everyone thought such a last-minute change must mean big news, but the spokesperson only read out a few peripheral pieces of news and was about to slip away when the reporters stopped him with their questions — and then the scene above unfolded.

The spokesperson knew he was being cursed by the reporters in their hearts, and he was cursing Claire in the same way inside his.

On the night of June 29th, America time (morning of the 30th in the Capital), the SLS rocket began fueling, and Claire formally confirmed that Artemis II was ready to launch, instructing that the news be disclosed at 8 PM to give a shock to their counterparts across the strait.

At 7:54 PM, the message the spokesperson received was, "Plans have changed, wait for now."

To calm down the reporters who had returned without any gains, the spokesperson had to show his face early the next morning. He was not in a good mood himself, as the adorable Director was delaying the final launch date, and he, being a public figure, was under immense pressure.

But he couldn’t talk rashly, he could only play a parrot, and then look for a chance to sneak away.

Just as he was preparing to slip out quietly, an intern rushed onto the stage and handed him a document. After flipping it open, his previously furrowed brow finally relaxed.

The poise a spokesperson should have returned to him as he tapped on the table and announced loudly:

"The launch date for the Artemis II mission has been announced, and it will launch in 24 hours, at 10 PM Central time on June 30th!

NACA will lead all citizens, embarking on the journey to the Moon once again!"

The reporters, who were still harboring dissatisfaction, quieted for a moment before exploding like boiling water, and scrambled to raise their hands:

"Mr. Spokesperson," "Spokesperson..." "May I ask..."

...

"Damn it, this is too much!"

Academician She had just finished an interview and was suppressing his excitement while admiring the rocket that had fully entered the launch preparation state when he heard that NACA had announced the launch time for Artemis II ten minutes prior.

PM Central time on the 30th, which is 8 AM in Beijing on July 1st, three hours earlier than Dawn III’s 11 AM!

If not for the fact that launching on July 1st had significant meaning, he would want to call over the astronauts and launch the rocket immediately.

What is NACA doing?

Before Academician She could continue to vent his anger, Big Shot’s call came through:

"Hello? She, have you seen the news?"

"I have, those bastards, trying to bully us by announcing the time first? Not a minute more, precisely three hours ahead!"

Big Shot: "No, you should first think about why they’re going ahead three hours."

"Ahead? Not to compete with us... Hmm, I’m starting to understand."

With Big Shot’s hint, Academician She quickly grasped the implied meaning, and after realizing it, he cursed fiercely.

"Damn Yankees, I get it now, they don’t have enough time. Their original launch date was definitely not in early July, at least late July or August. They’re rushing, competing with us to the death! They’ve scrapped together these three hours with everything they had!"

Big Shot: "I’m not afraid of them reaching the Moon before us. They were actually going to hold a press conference yesterday but cancelled it. I guess the time was supposed to be even earlier, but due to some issues they were forced to delay, and they set it three hours before ours.

Whatever it is, it shows that Artemis II is too rushed. This kind of spaceflight is going to cost lives!"

Academician She: "Should we persuade them to launch later? That’s not possible either. Let’s just ignore them and launch earlier. CZ-10 is in very good condition and ready to launch any time."

Big Shot: "Hold steady for now, I’m communicating with superiors. It’s a matter of human lives, we can’t just do nothing."