bacchusnovels Chapter 187 Launch Density
Chapter 187 Launch Density
The second launch site was chosen in the southwest of Hainan Island, a low-latitude, near-shore location with a favorable climate and a launch window of more than 200 days per year.
From site selection to completion, 402 took only eight months. The complete set of construction experience accumulated during the construction of the Northwest Base, coupled with the early arrival of national special funds, saved most of the coordination time. On the day the Hainan Base was put into operation, Zuo Cheng did not go to the site. He spent the morning in meetings in Hangzhou and watched the launch live in the afternoon. Yu Ying sat next to him, holding the launch schedule in her hand, checking the numbers on the screen.
"Next month, there will be nine trips to the Northwest and three trips to Hainan, for a total of twelve trips," Yu Ying said.
Zuo Cheng said that Cangqiong-2 is suitable for near-equatorial orbit, and Hainan's low latitude saves propellant, so the choice was correct.
Yu Ying said that Cangqiong-1 has been reused seven times and is in normal condition. All three Cangqiong-2 satellites are currently under maintenance. With proper coordination between the two sides, the schedule can be fully utilized.
That month's launch schedule was more packed than ever before. The launch pad at the Northwest base was used for two purposes, shortening the launch interval for Cangqiong-1 to 48 hours. The Hainan base carried out its first independent mission, with three launches, each 72 hours apart.
The maintenance team is the busiest this month. After the recovery of Cangqiong-1, the six-hour maintenance process must be completed meticulously, with each item, including engine internal inspection, cable routing, and structural stress, being verified. Li Guodong has been stationed in the Northwest for a full month, sleeping in the base's temporary dormitory, and he is always the one who signs off on every maintenance report.
The first week, three trips to the Northwest, all successful.
The second week, two trips to the Northwest and one trip to Hainan were all successful.
In the third week, there were two trips to the Northwest and two trips to Hainan, all of which were successful.
In the fourth week, there were two trips to the Northwest and one to Hainan, all of which were successful.
Twelve launches, zero errors, all payloads successfully entered orbit.
The last rocket lifted off from the Hainan base, and the news reached the launch command center in Hangzhou. Everyone stood and applauded. Zuo Cheng stood in front of the monitoring screen, watching the rocket's exhaust plume disappear into the atmosphere, without saying a word. Li Guodong's voice came from the Northwest via video link, saying that every rocket was in good condition and could continue to next month's mission.
Yu Ying pushed a piece of paper over, on which only one line of numbers was written: Twelve times in a single month—unprecedented in the history of global commercial spaceflight. The previous record was eight times in a single month, held by SpaceX, set three years ago.
Two days later, the Associated Press and Reuters published reports with concise headlines: "Chinese private space company launches twelve times in a single month, breaking the world record." Science media articles were longer, accompanied by line graphs comparing launch frequencies; the curve for company 402 rose steeply, while the curves for other companies flattened out, some even beginning to decline. Domestic mainstream media placed this news on their front pages, using the word "milestone" in their commentary.
Zuo Cheng glanced at the reports and closed his phone.
He knew about the achievements mentioned in the report, but more importantly, he knew what was behind these achievements. They were the result of every technological iteration, every reuse verification, and every maintenance and optimization since the maiden flight of Cangqiong-1. They were not created in a month, but were accumulated over two years.
Zuo Cheng received more than twenty interview requests and responded to one of them in ten minutes.
The reporter asked, "How did you manage to achieve this frequency?"
Zuo Cheng said there are three things: reliable recovery and reuse technology, a sufficiently fast maintenance system, and two launch sites operating in parallel. Taking any one of these alone wouldn't achieve this number; all three are necessary.
The reporter asked, "What is SpaceX's view?"
Zuo Cheng said, "I don't know, go ask them."
That same afternoon the report was published, the purchasing director of Jiutian Satellite flew directly to Hangzhou, requesting three additional launch contracts. He said that the launch density of 402 would allow them to advance their satellite network deployment by six months, and he had calculated the value of those six months—it would help them secure three more large ground station clients. Pan Jiangtao, a client in Malaysia, also sent an email asking if next year's launch missions could be scheduled earlier.
Yu Ying placed the contract on Zuo Cheng's table and said, "Another 270 million."
Zuo Cheng signed the document and asked, "Could the follow-up be expedited?"
Yu Ying said that there are no technical problems; the bottleneck lies in the number of launch pads. Currently, there are two in the Northwest and two in Hainan, with a maximum of about sixteen launches. To improve this, more launch pads need to be added, or the interval between launches needs to be shortened.
Zuo Cheng said that they are advancing in two directions simultaneously. How long will the approval process take for the number of launch pads added?
Yu Ying said that there is a national green channel in the Northwest, and approval can be obtained within six months. The situation in Hainan is more complicated, requiring coordination with various local departments, and it is estimated to take eight to ten months.
Zuo Cheng said, "Start immediately. I want to see a timeline for the plan's implementation in two months."
Han Lu knocked on the door and came in, saying that our launch frequency was on tonight's news, and the comments section was full of discussion. One comment said that 402 is no longer just catching up with SpaceX, but has left SpaceX far behind.
Zuo Cheng said, "Turn off the computer and go back to sleep."
Han Lu smiled and went out.
Yu Ying packed up her computer, stood up, walked to the door, turned back and said, "What about you?"
Zuo Cheng said, "Wait a moment, I want to take a look at some data from Cangqiong-2 that Li Guodong has."
Yu Ying said, "Don't stay out too late." Then she left.
Zuo Cheng opened the report sent by Li Guodong. The third Cangqiong-2 rocket completed its second recovery this month. The nozzle wear was better than expected, and the lifespan revision estimate was adjusted upwards to thirty-five cycles. Li Guodong wrote in the remarks that if the air film coating process were optimized again, forty cycles would not be impossible, and suggested starting the preliminary research work on the next generation coating.
Zuo Cheng stared at the number for a while.
The initial goal of the Cangqiong-1 rocket was 20 launches, while Cangqiong-2 achieved 35. If the next generation can reach 40 launches, the cost per rocket will drop to a level that no competitor can match. This technological path is on the right track. From the maiden flight of Cangqiong-1 to today's 12 launches per month, every step has been timed perfectly. The faster costs decrease, the higher the competitive barriers become, and the harder it is for latecomers to catch up.
He recalled the news reports about space projects he had read in his previous life. Most of China's commercial space companies struggled under the pressure of funding, technology, and institutional constraints. This life was different; the technology tree had given him a path with a clear end in sight.
He replied with two words in the notes and continued pushing.
I sent it out, shut down the computer, and got up. Outside the window, the city lights of Hangzhou stretched as far as the eye could see. On the large screen in the launch control center, the trajectory of the last rocket of the day was still displayed, a green dot slowly moving across the Earth's outline. Twelve launches—today's end, and tomorrow's beginning.
The market share figures will be available soon.