Chapter 75 - 73 Firefly_1

Before being transported out of the assembly building, engineers from New Yuan checked the cargo bay of the Progress once more to ensure the fixation of the Xin’an XC4 and the placement of the cameras... as well as its driver, Mr.: an empty spacesuit model.

The Xin’an XC4 is powered by two electric motors, with the front motor delivering 216 kilowatts and the rear motor 437 kilowatts, resulting in a total output of 653 kilowatts or 870 horsepower, and maximum torque of 1120 N·m;

Acceleration from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour takes 2.96 seconds, with a top speed of 290 km/h, and a maximum range of 510 km (front motor eco mode with kinetic energy recovery only);

Equipped with Xin’an’s first-generation BMS battery management system, the exclusive super-fast charging station delivers a charging current of 300A, charging 40% in the first 15 minutes, 70% in 30 minutes, and full in 55 minutes; The universal charging station can reach a current of 36A, charging 15% of the battery in the first 60 minutes; Home charging stations depend on the charging configuration chosen by the user;

The car is compatible with the XW151 smart driving system, offering a variety of functionalities, including automated parking, assisted driving, obstacle warning, cruise control, voice interaction, and vehicle status management through a smartphone connection;

The manufacturer provides a limited warranty of 5 years or 100,000 kilometers for the entire vehicle.

All of the above — based on the current technology projections and imagination.

To achieve these goals, Xin’an’s engineers would need to work tirelessly for 8 months after release, using every possible means to maintain their hard-won reputation and establish word-of-mouth.

Nanfang Automobile had also invested heavily, licensing some highly valuable technology and patents to Xin’an, while also maintaining equity balance with New Yuan Aeronautics.

As for Nanfang Automobile’s own CS105, it was still a traditional gasoline car. They had periodic plans to break into the mid-high end market and the original CS105 plan was one of them; it was just another attempt to revive and modify an old design for a quicker production cycle.

The first XC4 to go to space was actually an exquisite model, with more than half of its shell crafted by hand, and its undercarriage outright taken from an engineering test chassis — which would be out of sight anyway.

However, Nanfang’s engineers, sent to Xin’an, had put a great deal of effort into the exterior, with the quality of the paintwork impressing Lin Ju with a sense of mystery and nobility, reflecting that domestic products could yield excellent results with sufficient investment.

In a certain locality in Qiongzhou, Chen Jun was adapting to the dark surroundings of the set.

To maximize the effect of space, the presentation stage for Xin’an’s car release was just a studio, with screens covering the floor and all four walls, collaboratively simulating the real effect of space.

At that time, several panoramic cameras fixed on the XC4 would transmit images back to these screens, giving people the feeling of being in space for the presentation.

While still not comfortable with this new mode of promotion, Chen Jun, as the CEO of Xin’an, had to appear and firmly seize the opportunity.

At 10:30 AM on June 15, there was just half an hour left until the launch.

Due to the gimmick of the car release conference, the single live broadcast attracted over a million online viewers, while on-site tourist numbers, although less than last time, still exceeded two hundred thousand.

New Yuan had announced four launch plans for June and July, so it was expected that there would be a continuous flow of tourists coming in, ushering in the peak season for the Qiongzhou Tourist Bureau.

To generate buzz for Xin’an, the New Yuan No.2 Remote 2 Rocket was painted with Xin’an’s promotional livery, and just three days before launch, the surface of the Progress spacecraft was sprayed with non-heat-resistant paint to make it look like a large upright XC4 from a distance.

The national space agency was dizzy with all the commercial stunts pulled off by New Yuan, never imagining commercial space travel could be exploited in such a way.

Now, even state-owned car factories were approaching the space agency with inquiries: As a brother organization, helping launch a car into space should be fine, right?

Space agency: Get lost.

But to be honest, Xin’an had set an example for other brands, who were now considering whether to send their products into space.

They were not only asking the space agency but were mostly approaching New Yuan Aeronautics.

Lin Ju didn’t refuse any comers and decided to look at the proposals first, but the very first one rendered him speechless.

It was from a well-known international corporation, with both the money and the market, willing to spend a fortune just to send less than 10 grams of material and to alter the rocket’s paint job. However, Lin Ju firmly rejected their offer.

The company in question was Duras; they requested the rocket be painted to resemble a condom and even planned to release a special edition of star-themed condom designs, with future plans for lunar crater surface style, Martian cool version, and a scorching Mercury version, and so on.

Just picturing the shape of the rocket with that kind of imagery attached, Lin Ju felt his entire being was disturbed, and even his gaze towards the rocket became abnormal.

Commercial collaborations were fine, but could they please propose something normal for a change!

The aftermath of this proposal led Lin Ju to always think crookedly when looking at the New Yuan No.2 Remote 2 Rocket. When Guo Shen and the others asked, he told them about this bizarre deal that was promptly halted, resulting in a group of people that had very animated expressions when looking at the rocket.

Those watching the live broadcast and the people in the launch control room were clueless as to why the New Yuan side was making such strange faces, so they just continued to wait for the launch.

"...3, 2, 1, ignition."

The seven methane engines ignited one after another, as the New Yuan-2 Remote 2 Rocket, carrying the Progress module, ascended, once more leaving a powerful image etched in the viewers’ minds.

In the additional spacecraft’s ground control room, New Yuan’s engineers continually checked the data being sent back from the dummy on the Progress module—after all, the following mission would carry humans, so they had to ensure it was utterly fail-safe.

You see, due to structural limitations, spacecraft can’t employ ejection seats for escape like regular airplanes can, and because of their more complex structure and procedures compared to traditional ships, they require even higher and stricter reliability.

After 430 seconds, the first-stage rocket separated, the second stage’s hydrogen-oxygen engine ignited, continuing to push the Progress module toward low Earth orbit.

Several hundred seconds later, the second stage engine shut down, and the Progress module used its RCS jets distributed across its body to adjust its attitude and enter low Earth orbit.

At the same time, the New Yuan No.2 Remote 2 Rocket’s first stage was successfully recovered at the no.1 position of the Xinyuan Launch Site.

Aside from the addition of a space plane, the whole flight process was almost identical to the first time, convincing some in the audience that they had experienced a time warp.

At an altitude of 320 km, ten minutes after completing a self-check, the Progress module’s rear clamshell cargo bay doors opened, and the locking mechanism connecting it to the XC4 was released.

At the Xin’an car launch event studio, Chen Jun had already made the opening introduction, and, following directions through his earpiece, he pressed a button on the remote pointed at the screen behind him.

Against a pitch-black simulated space backdrop, the live camera feed from the XC4 slowly unfolded.

A white line suddenly appeared from the top of the screen, then gradually widened. Light entered the Progress module’s cargo bay, revealing the lustrous red hood of the XC4 and the internal layout of the cargo bay.

The module’s compact robotic arm tucked beside the cargo hold unfurled, grasping the XC4’s securing mechanism out of sight from the camera, slowly pulling it out.

In the camera feed from the XC4, the view in front of it gradually transitioned from the grey and white of the cargo bay to a bright blue shimmering with light.

The robotic arm continuously adjusted, finding just the right angle where the light was suitable, gently released its grip, and folded back into the cargo bay.

As the Progress module slowly closed its cargo bay, the XC4 coupe became its own satellite. The camera in the window captured it all.

Using the RCS to slightly adjust its orientation, the "Progress" fired up its rear hydrogen-oxygen engine, with the tens of thousands of newtons of thrust barely visible as a hint of pale blue inside the nozzle. The Progress module silently bid farewell to the lively yet actually inert XC4, slipping into the endless dark void of space like a firefly, becoming a faint star amidst the backdrop of the universe.

In the Xin’an press event, Chen Jun floated in the dark void of space, with the real Earth and the XC4 coupe that faced away from Earth as the backdrop, the astronaut dummy inside clutching the steering wheel, its dark visor illuminated by tiny points of light.