Rebirth: Starting from Lighting Up the Tech Tree

Chapter 175 The First Rocket

When Zuo Cheng stepped into the final assembly workshop, the rocket core stage, tens of meters high, was being slowly lifted up by a crane.

The silvery-white rocket body gleamed coldly under the factory's overhead lights, its four engine nozzles at the bottom resembling four dark, gaping eyes staring at the ground. A dozen or so engineers, dressed in blue overalls, looked up as the rocket moved, silent except for the clatter of the overhead crane chains and the occasional commands from the walkie-talkies.

"Altitude reached, cease ascent."

The crane operator's voice came through the loudspeaker. The rocket body hovered in mid-air, less than twenty centimeters from the docking ring of the second stage rocket body below.

Zuo Cheng stood outside the yellow warning line, not disturbing them.

This step, called rocket body assembly, is one of the most critical processes in the final assembly. The docking accuracy of the first and second stage rocket bodies must be controlled within 0.1 millimeters. Any deviation will affect the coaxiality of the subsequent engine nozzles, and thus affect the flight attitude.

"The docking ring temperature is normal and has begun to decrease."

The rocket slowly descended, like a giant needle piercing the eye of a needle. The engineers breathed a sigh of relief the instant the flanges met.

"Dock completed, deviation 0.03 millimeters." The quality manager's voice trembled slightly. "Within the required range."

Zuo Cheng checked his watch. This step was forty minutes ahead of schedule.

He walked into the control room of the final assembly platform, where Li Guodong was looking at a set of real-time data.

"When will the engine installation be completed?" Zuo Cheng asked.

"All four Merlin-modified engines are in place, and hoisting will begin tonight," said Li Guodong. "The control system completed hardware-in-the-loop testing yesterday, passing all twenty fault conditions. The AI-enhanced thrust adjustment algorithm has a response time of 3.2 milliseconds, an order of magnitude faster than traditional PID control."

Zuo Cheng nodded. This control system integrates technologies from the Three Leaves project: intelligent edge scheduling handles real-time task allocation during flight, intelligent star network scheduling optimizes multi-sensor data fusion, and the adaptive neural network compiler improves the execution efficiency of control commands by 40%. He didn't explain the origin of these capabilities to anyone, only saying it was a cross-disciplinary technology transfer from the research institute.

What about the arrow's structure?

"The overall structure adopts an aluminum-lithium alloy honeycomb sandwich structure, with a diameter of 3.7 meters and a total length of 56 meters," Li Guodong said, pulling up a 3D model. "The fairing has a reserved interface for space photovoltaic satellites, making it compatible with our self-developed satellite platform."

Zuo Cheng walked to the large screen. The 3D model slowly rotated, displaying each section of the rocket. The first stage had four engines, the second stage had one vacuum-powered engine, and the fairing was four meters in diameter, large enough to hold two satellites weighing around 300 kilograms each.

What is the carrying capacity for low Earth orbit?

"The design weight is ten tons," Li Guodong said. "The first launch won't be fully loaded; the plan is to carry a verification satellite, with a total weight not exceeding 800 kilograms."

Zuo Cheng remained silent for a moment. Ten tons of LEO payload capacity, close to the early versions of SpaceX's Falcon 9. For a private company less than four years old, this figure itself was a declaration.

How much faster was the final assembly schedule than planned?

"The original plan was for ninety days, but now it's the sixty-seventh day," Li Guodong said with a smile. "AI-assisted process optimization has been a huge help; assembly path planning has reduced the turnaround time of the final assembly station by twenty-three percent."

Zuo Cheng patted him on the shoulder.

Three days later, the final assembly ceremony was held at the satellite factory.

A makeshift stage was set up in the factory, with a dark blue backdrop bearing the 402 logo and a phoenix spreading its wings. Zuo Cheng stood in the center of the stage, behind him the Sky One rocket, which had just completed its final assembly. It had been transported to the factory's display area and was fixed to a support at a 45-degree angle, its white paint reflecting the lights.

There were more than 200 people sitting in the audience, including the core team of 402, supplier representatives from all over the country, and a dozen reporters.

Zuo Cheng picked up the microphone.

"Four months ago, when we decided to do this, many people asked me why 402 wanted to build rockets," his voice echoed in the factory. "My answer was simple: because space photovoltaics requires launch capability, and existing launch services are either too expensive or have too long a wait. If we don't solve this problem ourselves, we'll be forever dependent on others."

Applause erupted from the audience.

"Today, the Cangqiong-1 rocket has been fully assembled." Zuo Cheng turned and pointed to the rocket behind him. "It is the first orbital-class launch vehicle of the 402nd Launch Vehicle Division, and also the first medium-lift launch vehicle in China entirely developed independently by a private enterprise. It has a low-Earth orbit payload capacity of ten tons and is capable of vertical recovery of its first stage. It will conduct its maiden flight within three months at the Northwest Launch Site."

The applause grew even louder.

The reporters' camera flashes went off in a blur. Zuo Cheng saw Yu Ying standing in the front row of the crowd, wearing the research institute's white overalls, clapping.

After the ceremony, Zuo Cheng did not leave immediately. He walked to the base of the rocket and looked up at the enormous arrow.

"Brother," Yu Ying walked over, "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about the first launch," Zuo Cheng said. "Ten tons of payload, ten meters of landing accuracy—these numbers look impressive on paper. But with rockets, you only know if they're up to par once they're airborne."

Are you worried?

"It's not worry," Zuo Cheng said, "it's awe. SpaceX exploded four times before successfully recovering it. We might be luckier, or we might be worse off. But whatever the outcome, this rocket has proven that 402 is capable of doing this."

Yu Ying followed his gaze to the rocket body. The four characters "Skyline No. 1" were printed on the rocket's nose, in clean and crisp black lettering.

Did you choose the name?

"Yes," Zuo Cheng said, "The name 'Cangqiong' comes from the Tianqiong Satellite Network. From now on, every rocket will be called Cangqiong, No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and so on, up to No. 100."

"Number one hundred?"

"Number 100 is just the beginning," Zuo Cheng said. "Space photovoltaics require thousands of satellites, and each one needs a rocket. If we can launch one per month, twelve per year, that'll be 120 in ten years. By then, the name 'Sky' will be more common than 'Falcon.'"

Yu Ying laughed: "You always think so far ahead."

"Not far off," Zuo Cheng said. "The launch three months from now is just the first step."

Zuo Cheng stood alone on the observation deck of the launch site, looking at the Sky One satellite standing on the launch pad in the distance.

The rocket has been transported to the Northwest Launch Site and is undergoing pre-launch rehearsals. Three months later, the first plume of flame from launch site 402 will rise here.

He opened the technology tree interface in his mind. The sixth branch, the space photovoltaic, was shining steadily, all six leaves activated. At the base of the branch, a new thin line was slowly extending, pointing to the seventh unlit position.

Commercial spaceflight.

Zuo Cheng closed the interface and turned to walk back to the control center.

Three months later, the answer will rise from here.