Chapter 82 - 80 Capital_1

On July 23, the Space Agency finally submitted the first important aerospace cooperation project to New Yuan Aeronautics:

The backup for Tiangong-1 Space Station, Tiangong No.2, was scheduled to launch earlier than originally planned in 2016 and would be sent into space this October using the CZ-2F rocket.

The Shenzhou Spaceship initially meant to dock with Tiangong No.2, Shenzhou 11, had its hopes set on being replaced by New Yuan’s H1 spacecraft, tasked with transporting three astronauts and 500 kilograms of cargo to Tiangong No.2 in November and then returning with the astronauts 30 days later.

Then, the Fifth Academy would have until April of the next year to successfully develop the "Tianzhou-1" cargo spacecraft and launch it to dock with Tiangong No.2, where it would operate as part of the complex and continue to receive astronauts.

After internal arguments for a month, the Space Agency finally unified its internal opinions, that is, to set aside other matters temporarily and delegate the capable but time-sensitive tasks to expedite the space program’s progress.

The H1 cargo version "Progress" can deliver either three people or 4.5 tons of cargo into space; the passenger version "Unity" can transport six people at a time. The former’s numbers were highly valued by the Space Agency.

Not only is it more convenient and faster, but most importantly, it’s cheaper. No matter how it’s priced, it’ll undoubtedly cost less than the CZ-2F combined with the Shenzhou Spaceship. A launch could happen once a month, which is both a saving on funds and on costs.

As for the docking with Tiangong No.2, that should be straightforward. The H1’s docking port is 0.9 meters in diameter, and although it’s not compatible with Tiangong No.2’s 0.85-meter port, fitting Tiangong No.2 with a new docking port isn’t a major project, especially considering the small difference in size.

Lin Ju took the space station cooperation plan sent by the Space Agency very seriously and, instead of deciding on his own, called for the System Engineer to consult.

After browsing through the entire plan, Guo Shen joined his hands together and said,

"There are no technical issues, and we can also provide the standard for modifying the interface, but to be honest, this order is too small."

Androff took over the topic, "The cost of reusing H1 is about 18 to 23 million. If we’re launching in October... I’ll try my best to complete the K380V engine project by September. The four boosters of New Yuan 5 Rocket will be manufactured by August, and the core stage rocket body is also ready; only the engine is left;

For the October mission, we’ll use the New Yuan 5 Rocket. The cost of sending them up is about 50 million. We should price it based on commercial spaceflight minus the cost of astronaut training. 0.5 tons of cargo goes for free, totaling a price of 350 million. If it’s the New Yuan-2 rocket, then it would be too expensive, its cost alone being no less than 1.6 billion, and in total, we must ask for at least 600 million."

Lin Ju calculated the price of the CZ-2F in his mind; together with the Shenzhou Spaceship, it was around 1 billion. Even using the New Yuan-2 for the launch would save half the funds.

"It’s not a small amount. Send them both quotations; if they use the New Yuan 5 Rocket, that would save another half, and the meticulous Space Agency will accept it."

Guo Shen said, "I have another idea, to expand the scope of this project even further."

...

"Look, they have a new rocket now. This New Yuan 5 Rocket only uses kerosene engines and has just enough carrying capacity. The cost must have dropped significantly, or they would not offer us half the price of the New Yuan-2."

At the Space Agency, the director projected New Yuan’s quotation for everyone to discuss.

"That’s for sure, the second stage of the New Yuan-2 is too expensive, and the telemetry and transfer also require added costs. The kerosene engine used in New Yuan 5 Rocket can reduce the cost by a lot, at least 60%."

"Let’s go with the New Yuan 5 Rocket; although it’s a new model, they will definitely conduct one or two unmanned flights first. Moreover, the technology of this medium-sized rocket’s body is very mature, so it should not cause any issues."

"A quotation of 350 million is the same as what they charge for commercial spaceflight to outsiders, which is much cheaper than the Shenzhou 11."

After a discussion, everyone unanimously agreed to New Yuan’s quotation, finding it to be a bargain.

But the matter was clearly not over. The director nodded towards Zhao Zong, the deputy chief designer of the Fifth Academy’s space station, and everyone’s attention shifted to him.

Zhao Zong stepped forward and opened a new PPT from a USB drive.

"Ladies and gentlemen, during my conversation with Chief Designer Guo Shen, he incidentally mentioned the space station. They believe that their XS-62 space station can dock with Tiangong No.2, which would be beneficial for the improvement of astronauts’ living conditions and spacecraft docking.

XS-62 has a node module with five docking ports, one of which is a 0.9-meter circular port perpendicular to the axis that can dock with a modified Tiangong No.2; then they will change the opposite port to a 0.9-meter circular port as well, for docking with the H1 spacecraft.

In this way, our astronauts can move to live inside XS-62. If a major renovation is carried out, up to six bedrooms and two independent bathrooms can be added, all while still having 560 cubic meters of space for comfortable living."

Then, an imaginary diagram of XS-62 docked with H1 and Tiangong No.2 appeared on the projection screen. Tiangong No.2 looked like a small pudding next to the 36-meter long and 7.6-meter diameter XS-62, with its 10-meter length and 3.35-meter diameter.

But everyone knew that the "small pudding," which was loaded with numerous experimental equipments, actually cost several times more than XS-62. It was truly a nagging thought.

"How long is this module designed to operate in orbit?"

After a while, someone finally asked a question.

"Ten years. The space station costs 1 billion yuan, a single launch of New Yuan-2 costs 500 million yuan, totaling 1.5 billion yuan. They say the construction period is five months, and New Yuan currently has the capability to build two at the same time."

After Zhao Zong finished speaking, there was immediate whispering among the audience, with those involved in the design of the space station and spacecraft starting to discuss quietly:

"To invest 1.5 billion yuan in such a module seems too little for six people. Even if it is according to their standard of luxurious single rooms, fitting ten people would still be spacious. That’s equivalent to 150 million yuan a year, and you could dock five more modules. It seems cost-effective whichever way you look at it."

"Tiangong No.2 only costs 1 billion too, but that’s in U.S. dollars. Just installing a tourist module makes it a bargain..."

Watching the vigorous debate below, Zhao Zong couldn’t help feeling emotional.

What Guo Shen meant by "enlarging the project" to Lin Ju was to sell a tourist module to the space agency, but this brought New Yuan Aeronautics far more than just a one-time profit.

The internal volume of XS-62 is dozens of times that of Tiangong No.2. Once they get used to such a comfortable space station, would they be willing to return to their tiny rooms?

Moreover, after purchasing XS-62, the space agency would never again design such stingy modules. Not to mention anything else, designing them small would not even leave room for installing 2.5-meter docking ports—they would have to be at least 5 meters or more.

For a space station of this level, apart from the CZ-5, only New Yuan had the capability to launch it. With the CZ-5 far in the future, it was obvious that this would force the space agency to choose New Yuan-2, which was very affordable at 500 million yuan per launch.

Even with the most cost-saving measures, the CZ-5 could not be priced under 1 billion yuan and would never gain a price advantage.

As for Guo Shen representing New Yuan Aeronautics showing the fangs of capital for the first time, Lin Ju chose to acquiesce.

The space market is limited. Creating demand is important, but so is seizing it. With New Yuan’s large scale and wealth, sometimes such actions are necessary, and after all, it’s just normal business logic, right?

It remains to be seen what the space agency will do: will they stubbornly maintain their closed system, or will they fully open up to New Yuan?