Chapter 567 - 555: Space Chip

"John announced that the Artemis III astronauts would spend Christmas Eve on the Moon."

On the bus circling Qiongzhou, Bill Nelson looked at the headline news on his phone and couldn’t help but close his eyes and push the phone away the moment he read the title.

Although...but the boss really knows how to spit out nonsense without considering the occasion.

The successful launch of SL-X was indeed a fact, and Bill knew that another SpaceX B11 first stage seemed to be ready as well. Artemis III truly had the capability to launch before Christmas Eve.

However, after experiencing so many unforeseen events, hadn’t John realized that spaceflight is full of uncertainties... It isn’t like the last century.

The notion that "aerospace=delays" only emerged in recent years, while there were delays in the last century, they weren’t as severe. In that era of constant catch-up, rockets were being produced as steadily as sausages.

The only place that can sustain such a trend now is the land he was currently on. During his time in Beijing, he had glimpsed an astoundingly large and terrifying space project.

Such an ambitious project would have required the efforts of the entire world in the last century’s environment. Even with today’s huge technological leaps, it would still require considerable investment, and the resolve of the Aerospace Development Committee was hard to believe.

Bill silently compared the rapidly advancing Aerospace Development Committee and the somewhat worn-down NACA, trying to find ways to bridge the gap.

"We’re here."

Joan’s voice interrupted his thoughts, and Bill hurriedly got off the bus with the others, immediately feeling the heavy salt-laden air that was unique to the seaside.

This was the site where the CZ-18 was ready for launch, locally known as "Wengjia Bay," an area naturally good in vertical alignment and not too deep.

Since the launch area was still under construction, the bus didn’t drive directly in, and the group of experts chose to walk. It wasn’t long before Bill saw the awe-inspiring superstructure.

Today was November 29. The CZ-18, which was completed with hoisting and container closure in Modu City, had arrived at Wengjia Bay two days ahead of schedule, now anchored to the bay’s edge with the semi-submersible ship that carried it, secured by thick mooring cables.

The surface of the super rocket’s assembly container was exposed with various steel structures, like a giant’s wall covering up the distant coastline.

The CZ-18 rocket was fully accommodated within this super-large pressure shell, but Bill could imagine the rocket lying horizontally inside it.

The Jiuzhang Spaceship would arrive in the next two or three days, those super heavy cranes on the shore and the gathered work boats were prepared to assemble them together. Countless personnel were working hard on site at the moment.

The dense crowd on the temporary pier seemed like ants compared to the assembly container, highlighting the rocket’s grandeur with their insignificance.

Joan walked to the front and looked down, trying to find the super-large concrete base that weighed tens of thousands of tons, but he saw nothing.

If he had come a month earlier, he could have seen the magnificent construction site. Six workboats, including support vessels, had isolated a section of sea water and were pouring high-grade cement into it like it was nothing. For the domestic construction team, the requirements for the cement base were excessively simple, and they handled it effortlessly.

But Joan and the others felt shocked after finding out, all wanting to witness the existence of the miracle themselves.

After a while, with the local guide’s help and the right lighting, they could see a dark shadow under the sea. Although still uncertain, Joan believed that was it.

"Nelson, what do you think, if we were packed into this rocket and launched out using buoyancy, how different would the G-forces be compared to a navy carrier aircraft takeoff?"

Bill thought for a moment, "The G-forces during carrier aircraft takeoff are very high, although I’m not too sure."

"You’re not a military man?"

Bill: "I served in the Army."

"..."

Jon realized that he had subconsciously categorized this space-faring congressman as a former pilot, and this remark actually elevated his regard for him. At least Bill was among the rare elites in Congress who understood science, unlike the many inept ones.

"I’ve seen some of your plans... Is it really cost-effective for the Chinese to use hydrogen bombs for mining ore?"

Although United Mining had semi-publicized many details about using hydrogen bombs to blast mining pits, Bill still harbored some skepticism, suspecting that the Aerospace Development Committee had ulterior motives.

"Of course."

As the conversation turned to his area of expertise, Jon became excited:

"This is an ingenious idea. Nuclear bombs should not exist solely as weapons. We’ve just been too cautious before. A nuclear winter is entirely a myth, an obstacle in our progress.

In the future, we ought to do the same, and not just on the Moon. Actually, asteroids are even more convenient. SpecaX had previously launched a ’Changsi’ asteroid probe. The Lingxi Star they’re targeting could contain hundreds of thousands of tons of gold, and even if treated as industrial material, it would yield an immense profit."

Bill nodded: "Yes, we will also have resource development plans. This time, we’re preparing to do more on the Moon.

Did you see the news yesterday? Several leading physicists have expressed support for United Mining and believe that the revenue from space mining will far exceed expectations. I think Congress will react."

...

Capital.

Most of the inspection delegation representatives had gone to Qiongzhou to witness the launch of the CZ-18 rocket. Launching a gigantic rocket from underwater was an unprecedented experience, captivating national aerospace sectors, many of whom applied for official close-observation status.

Lin Ju had also wanted to go there, but something had arisen which demanded his attention.

"Hello, Mr. Pan."

"Hello, hello."

It was Pan Yongnan’s first time meeting Lin Ju, and like many others, he was surprised by the latter’s youthfulness.

Accompanying him was Wang Minjiang, who had previously led the Microelectronic department in New Yuan and was now eagerly expanding Yellow River Semiconductor’s capacity to fully compete next year.

The two had come together by coincidence; Wang Minjiang was connecting with his boss for technical support and had run into Academy scientist Pan Yongnan, so they decided to stay together for the visit.

Lin Ju’s palm glided over the Chartush spread on the tabletop, looking somewhat uncertainly towards Pan Yongnan:

"Professor Pan, do you really believe that manufacturing chips in space is of great significance? I do not doubt the feasibility of this technology, but is its prospective future worth our substantial investment?

I have some understanding of semiconductor technology, and the chip industry chain is extremely complex. Transferring it to space is not impossible, but what gain can we expect from such an endeavor?"

Lin Ju rarely hesitated on space projects, but Pan Yongnan’s purpose for this visit was indeed puzzling, especially since Lin was quite aware of the enormity of chip manufacturing.

Just take the underground base’s state-of-the-art, fully automated chip factory as an example, spanning almost a thousand acres. Naturally, this led to some doubts about the prospects of producing chips in space with current technological capabilities.