Rebirth 99 to become a car giant.

Chapter 774 The most expensive "fireworks" is a pity
Unlike Tesla, although SpaceX has been established for eleven years, it has no plans to go public.

Masco is its absolute controller and can completely decide its life and death.

Venus 9 has been successfully launched and successfully recovered, and now the next reuse launch plan has been announced.

This is definitely a huge stimulus for space exploration technology companies that are also committed to recyclable rocket technology.

Falcon 9's halo was quickly taken away by Daystar 9.

This is definitely something Musko cannot accept.

Therefore, the official launch of the recyclable version of Falcon 9 immediately entered the fast lane.

Today is the official launch day of this recyclable rocket.

Like Daystar Technology, Space Exploration Technology Company also chose to broadcast the Falcon 9 launch process live on the Internet this time.

"Mr. Cao, from what we know so far, the improved Falcon 9 of Space Exploration Technology Company has not been officially finalized. It was only due to our stimulation that it was launched today."

Zhao Siyu made good use of various information to compare Venus 9 and Falcon 9.

Even the design logic is relatively similar.

Because many parts require special tooling for production, R&D expenses and testing expenses also need to be amortized.

So Zhao Siyu could answer Cao Yang's question immediately.

The waiting time is often one hour and the doctor's visit lasts five minutes.

Cao Yang did not particularly care about the special status of Space Exploration Company in the United States.

This impact is absolutely huge.

"At that time, it will be possible to quickly launch a large number of Starlink satellites into space in a short period of time."

"However, this time their improved model is also a recyclable model. It is estimated that the cost of the first-stage rocket will increase a bit, and the final cost will be more than 6000 million US dollars."

You know, if only one rocket is produced, the cost may reach two to three billion yuan, or even exaggerate, it is not surprising to directly soar to more than one billion yuan.

Zhao Siyu and Cao Yang stayed in the conference room together to watch the live launch of the improved Falcon 9.

Cao Yang now has Daystar 9 taking two routes.

The second is to produce a batch of Venus 9 in large quantities at the same time to reduce the cost of the rocket by improving production efficiency and reducing production costs.

One is recyclability, which reduces the amortized cost of a single launch.

While Cao Yang and Zhao Siyu were communicating, Mi Ying reminded them.

"How much does Falcon 9 cost approximately?"

"Many employees in their company even come directly from NASA, so naturally it cannot be a pure market economy behavior."

"Space Exploration Technology Corporation has signed many commercial launch contracts with NASA. Every launch mission can make SpaceX profitable."

To put it mildly, if the Space Exploration Technology Company registers a large number of patents, it might be able to turn around and sue Daystar Technology for infringement of their patents.

So the difference between using 10 as the denominator and using 1 as the denominator is absolutely huge.

Many people always think that all systems in the United States are better than those in China. In fact, in many places there, the water is much deeper than in China.

At this time, it is naturally not suitable to continue chatting.

As the most direct competitor in the civil aviation field, Daystar Technology naturally has an in-depth understanding of the situation of the Space Exploration Company.

"Space Exploration Technology Company directly uses American air force bases for rocket launches. This so-called private aerospace technology company is actually not that purely private."

"I feel that they may be able to be successfully launched into space, but it may be difficult to successfully recover them."

"Yes, I calculated that by next year, the cost of a single launch of our Venus 9 will be reduced to less than half of what it is now."

Zhao Siyu looked at the picture on the projector and couldn't help but complain.

But if more than ten rockets of the same model can be produced, then the cost can be reduced to less than 30% of the original cost, let alone halved.

"The cost of the fairing is about 600 million US dollars, and there are other expenses such as fuel costs, which are about 500 million US dollars."

So when Cao Yang, Zhao Siyu and others are waiting for the launch of the improved Falcon 9, they spend most of their time waiting.

During this process, there will definitely be exchanges around some issues regarding the Rockets.

The situations of these two products are similar in many places.

"We can also quickly consider broadband access."

At this time, everyone can already feel the benefits brought by the Starlink system.

Watching a rocket launch is like seeing a doctor.

Some people like to watch the NBA, some people like to watch the World Cup, but Zhao Siyu and Cao Yang now like to watch rocket launches.

Zhao Siyu is very active in the establishment of the Starlink system.

"After the MAX version of Venus 9 is released in the future, the average launch cost for each Starlink satellite will be even lower."

"The first-stage rocket and fairing can be recycled. If the second-stage rocket can also be recycled in the future, the cost of each launch can be reduced by 90%. This impact is still very large."

"It's about 5000 million U.S. dollars, of which the first-stage rocket costs about 3000 million U.S. dollars, and the second-stage rocket costs about 1000 million U.S. dollars."

"Mr. Cao, the improved Falcon 9 will be officially launched in one minute."

Venus Technology can also use the Northwest Launch Site in China, which is obviously not something that common private companies have the opportunity to use.

When it comes to a special high-tech scene like rocket launch, no matter which country it is in, it is impossible to have nothing to do with the relevant departments.

If it really doesn't matter, then it will matter when something happens.

If it doesn't matter, it matters. If it matters, it doesn't matter.

This truth applies everywhere.

"The stock price of Musk's Tesla has risen a lot. I estimate that he will further increase his support for space exploration technology in the future."

"Coupled with Google's strong support for Musk, I feel that they will continue to make new moves in the research and development of rocket technology."

"Objectively speaking, if we take the rocket technology and space exploration technology accumulated by NASA and transform it, we can still come up with a lot of amazing things."

Zhao Siyu didn't look down on his opponent just because Venus Technology launched the recyclable rocket in advance.

They were the ones who shot heavy rockets into the sky decades ago.

It's not something that can be ignored easily.

At this moment, a countdown began to appear on the screen!

SpaceX's improved Falcon 9 has officially begun launching.

In the rocket circle, many things are universal.

The launch process of Falcon 9 is not essentially different from that of Venus 9.

Even the scene of the rocket shooting up from the launch pad with fire spraying out is similar.

To put it bluntly, if the picture of the Venus 9 launch was used as a promotional picture for the Falcon 9 launch, it is estimated that 99% of people would not be able to tell the difference.

Well, the premise is to remove the four big red characters "Heilan Home" on Daystar No. 9.

"Do you think Falcon 9 can be successfully recovered after this launch?"

As the rocket quickly took off, Cao Yang and Zhao Siyu continued to chat.

In general, rocket launches are prone to problems mainly in several key links.

Falcon 9 is a relatively mature model, and the current improved model mainly makes some modifications to the first-stage rocket.

Therefore, before the first-stage rocket begins to enter the recovery process, there is a high probability that there will be no problems.

In this regard, Cao Yang is relatively confident in the level of Space Exploration Technology Company.

"It's a bit suspenseful. Their progress is not yet ready for launch, but now they have chosen to launch for various reasons. There is a high probability of something going wrong."

Zhao Siyu gave his judgment with certainty.

Those engaged in the aerospace industry cannot tolerate any sloppiness.

If you don't pay attention at all, people will reward you with "big fireworks".

When it's critical, he will take a bunch of people away directly.

In order to make his judgment more convincing, Zhao Siyu also gave an example.

"Back then, Polar Bear conducted a test flight of the R-16 intercontinental ballistic missile. In the process of preparing for launch, due to a circuit failure, the second-stage engine of the missile accidentally ignited. Under normal circumstances, this failure may only be a minor problem, but in this case In the event, it caused a horrific explosion."

"An electrical fault caused an explosion?"

Cao Yang had vaguely seen this information somewhere, but he was not impressed.

So after hearing Zhao Siyu bring it up on his own initiative, he asked.

"Mr. Cao, the explosion this time was specifically due to a circuit failure and the missile's second-stage engine accidentally ignited."

"This engine is designed to propel the missile forward once it enters space."

"Therefore, its ignition means that the missile will begin its second phase of propulsion without leaving the ground."

"This is an extremely dangerous situation because the missile's fuel is highly flammable and explosive."

"In this case, the missile's fuel was immediately ignited, causing a huge explosion."

When Zhao Siyu said this, Cao Yang roughly understood.

Rockets and missiles are sometimes used interchangeably.

It's just that people launch various warheads, and rockets launch various satellites.

"This situation of exploding before taking off is probably the worst situation among various launch tests, right?"

Cao Yang could imagine the scene of a large missile exploding on the launch pad.

That was definitely very scary. "Yes, it is estimated that 160 polar bear experts died in this big explosion, including many senior polar bear military officers and scientists."

"This disaster is the most tragic missile accident in human history and the largest space tragedy in human history."

"It is a wake-up call for us, reminding us that space exploration is an undertaking full of risks and challenges, and requires us to have a high sense of responsibility and professionalism."

"It is completely irresponsible for SpaceX to launch the improved Falcon 9 ahead of schedule this time."

While Zhao Siyu and Cao Yang were talking, Falcon 9's first-stage rocket and second-stage rocket had successfully separated.

Many people on the other side of the screen have already begun to celebrate.

After all, for the past Falcon 9, this launch mission has been % completed.

However, the situation this time is obviously different.

After the separation of the first-stage rocket, in order to avoid being burned by the rapid fall into the atmosphere, a secondary ignition is required.

When it's about to land, in order to further reduce the speed, it needs to be ignited again.

This process is actually not very long.

Seeing that the Falcon 9 is getting closer and closer to the surface, the commentator on the other side of the screen has begun to remind everyone that the first-stage rocket needs to be ignited again, and it will be able to land successfully in a few dozen seconds.

However, at this moment, a huge, dazzling white dot appeared on the screen.

Then the white dot quickly turned into a ball of fire.

Although no explosion was heard, everyone could see that the Falcon 9 first-stage rocket exploded!

Their rocket recyclability experiment was a failure.

"The last minute is where the technical threshold is the highest, and all the improvements that need to be made on the improved Falcon 9 revolve around the last minute."

"Sure enough, after the forced early launch, Falcon 9 has turned into a firework."

Zhao Siyu was not surprised at all by the failure of the improved Falcon 9 launch.

It would be surprising if someone tested it in advance and succeeded very smoothly.

"This can be regarded as the most expensive 'fireworks' this year. It's a pity that it failed so quickly."

Cao Yang didn't gloat about his misfortune.

There is no need. Although we are all competitors, space is so big and it is more interesting to have a partner to play with.

Without anyone competing together, the development of many technologies will fall behind.

If you look at some products in monopoly fields, there may not be much technological change for decades.

But once this field becomes very competitive, the situation will immediately be completely different.

"Although the launch of the improved Falcon 9 failed, I actually think there was not much loss to Space Exploration Technology Company."

"They still successfully put the satellite into the sky and completed the launch mission."

"It's just that the first-stage rocket is not recycled as in the past."

"Compared with past launch costs, it is estimated to be only 20 to 30% more expensive."

Mi Ying interjected from the side.

Her perspective on looking at the problem is rather unique.

However, I have to say that her view is reasonable.

It depends on the dimension from which you look at this issue.

"Director Mi is right. For the Space Exploration Technology Company, this launch has attracted a lot of attention and let more people know about their existence."

“This is definitely very meaningful for their subsequent financing.”

"Even to a certain extent, through this launch test, some of their technical improvements can be accelerated."

"Maybe within this year, they will be able to successfully conduct a second test launch."

Zhao Siyu made further speculations based on the research and development status of Daystar Technology.

The threshold for rockets is relatively high.

But once you get started, sometimes many things are just like a layer of paper, once you pierce it, it will pass.

Falcon 9 failed to launch this time. They will definitely conduct various analyzes to confirm where the failure occurred.

Then make a series of improvements to address the fault.

By the next time, there is basically no need to worry about this fault happening again.

"Ignore them, we can just advance research on various types of rockets at our own pace."

The first-stage rocket has exploded. At this time, Cao Yang no longer cares whether the second-stage rocket can continue to send satellites to the designated orbit.

However, Cao Yang no longer cared, but the polar bear was stimulated.

"Dmitri, both China and the United States are working on recyclable rockets. The space agency hopes that we can also develop similar products."

"Otherwise, we will lag behind China and the United States in the rocket field. This is unacceptable."

Grotin, the president of United Rocket and Aerospace Corporation, also watched the launch process of the improved Falcon 9 of Space Exploration Technology Corporation.

Although the launch failed in the end, they persisted until the last minute.

According to normal time estimates, within one or two years, the Space Exploration Technology Company will basically be able to maturely master the recycling technology.

This is definitely a very big stimulus for polar bears.

"Vertical recovery technology has very high requirements on the rocket control system, which is where we are relatively weak."

"Even if we want to study recyclable rockets, we may not be suitable to follow the same path as China and the United States."

As the chief engineer of United Rocket and Aerospace Corporation, Demetri is naturally very clear about the various industrial technologies of polar bears.

After the semiconductor industry falls behind, it will inevitably have a series of impacts.

Polar Bear's backward technology in various control systems is one of the impacts.

However, vertical recovery technology has very high requirements on the control system. If the angle of landing is not controlled well, or there are some errors in the control time, the rocket recovery will fail.

When the rocket explodes as it approaches the ground, it will be almost like a missile exploding.

This is certainly a situation that many people do not want to see.

Therefore, Demetri made his point of view quite clear.

"Do you think the recyclable heavy-lift launch vehicle developed based on Energy in the 80s was used as a reference and used a completely different recycling method from the Falcon 9 and Venus 9?"

As president, Grogin is naturally very familiar with the aerospace industry.

Otherwise, how can we lead a group of experts to develop?

"Yes, according to this method, after completing the launch mission, the rocket will return as a whole, and it will also return to the airport runway in a horizontal gliding landing. This design is similar to the space shuttle."

"And its flight structure is similar to a glide bomb. The rocket's wings are folded and stored on the back, and then opened when used. Each booster has a landing gear."

"All the parts can be reused, there is almost no waste, and the second launch is just a matter of refueling."

After Dmitri said this, Grogin also felt that this direction seemed more suitable for his company.

On the one hand, some relevant technical information can certainly be found in the archives, which can effectively reduce the difficulty of research and development.

On the other hand, the recycling difficulty of this kind of recyclable rocket is relatively low and easy to make.

"Since you think this plan is good, then we will redesign it according to this plan and come up with our own recyclable rocket as soon as possible."

Grotin gave his instructions very directly.

However, Demetri was a bit embarrassed and said: "The funds required to develop such a rocket are very huge."

"It's best to prepare funds in advance, otherwise there will be no funds after half the research, which will dampen everyone's enthusiasm."

Demetri's worry is obviously not unfounded.

When the "Energy 2" heavy-lift rocket did not continue to be developed, the biggest problem was that it was too expensive.

Polar bears can't afford that money.

"Private companies in the United States and China are engaged in recyclable rockets, making full use of private capital."

"Is it possible for us to adopt a similar approach, dedicate some technical staff to set up an independent project, and then use this project to attract investment?"

Grogin naturally knew the funds in the company's account.

Although there is no money in the account, every ruble has its own use.

It will definitely be very difficult to squeeze out the R&D funds for a brand new project in one go.

Fortunately, Demetri is relatively clear about this situation.

Therefore, he did not force his CEO, but patiently waited for the other party to give him an answer.

"Let's come up with the plan first. Simply making the plan doesn't require too much money."

"After we have the plan, we will see if we can use this plan to attract some investment."

“We can even consider spinning off this part of the business from our company in the future.”

After Grotin said this, Dmitri became more confident.

I'm afraid Grotin is very stubborn and unwilling to change.

That would be more troublesome.

Soon, United Rocket and Space Company officially launched the recyclable rocket project and publicized it in a high-profile manner.

They even pulled out pictures of the "Energy 2" heavy-lift rocket from that year to let everyone know that they are serious this time.

(End of this chapter)