Chapter 115: Space Hub
“Mark, good evening. Congratulations on your astronauts successfully landing on Mars. That’s truly impressive!”
In the office, after isolating from outsiders, Fan Ren’s relaxed voice came through the telephone.
“It’s good morning, but in the face of your series of methodical plans, I already feel there’s nothing worth congratulating.”
Fan Ren listened to the listless response from the other end of the phone and couldn’t help but chuckle.
“No problem. At least your stock price has been rising nicely lately. If I weren’t completely clueless about the financial market, I might even want to buy some of your company’s stock.”
“Alright, stop teasing me. If Xinghai goes public, its market value will absolutely break historical records. Tell me, what’s the matter that made you think of me amid your busy schedule?”
Mark pursed his lips. Half a year ago, they had invested 500 billion to construct the space elevator—that was real money spent. Just this alone meant no private enterprise in the world could match it right now.
“Mm, it’s like this. This morning, we launched a small unmanned flying boat built with a nuclear fusion engine. It set off for Mars a week ago and is expected to arrive at Mars synchronous orbit within a day. It’s carrying our company’s latest research and development quantum communication system, which will eliminate communication delays between Earth and Mars at that time.”
After Fan Ren finished speaking, he waited. Mark’s breathing on the telephone immediately grew heavy.
This kind of gap is simply impossible to surpass.
Nuclear fusion engine, capable of sustained full-throttle acceleration—this is absolutely crucial for navigation within the solar system today.
Crossing 400 million kilometers in a week, and paired with quantum communication for real-time delay-free communication.
In aerospace, Great Xia has completely generated a generational gap with the entire White Alliance side.
Whatever.
Under the leadership of that group of presidents like Wells who only know how to rake in money, such a gap is not surprising.
“Impressive.”
Hearing Mark’s dejected voice, Fan Ren shook his head helplessly.
“Listen, Mark. I know that communication delays between you and Mars create huge flaws in command.
Although this unmanned flying boat I hastily built is mainly for testing purposes, it carries a quantum relay communication satellite, which can provide communication services for your ‘Mars Project’ at that time.
Spitz Company just needs to pay a certain communication fee for it.”
“How much?”
Mark was straightforward. He now felt his company was like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, with Fan Ren able to come and take a cut anytime.
But there was no way around it; the troubles caused by communication delays were too many and too complex.
“Not expensive. As a friend, 10 billion a year. Trust me, it’s absolutely worth more than it costs!”
“Deal! By the way, there shouldn’t be any Earth-Mars opposition window launch periods for Mars supply transportation afterward, right?”
Fan Ren nodded. With the nuclear fusion engine and the initial acceleration provided by the top of the space elevator, small-volume spaceships could achieve a one-way trip between Earth and Mars in as little as a week, so there was naturally no such thing as an Earth-Mars opposition period.
“Yes, there aren’t. However, if staying on Mars, the return trip would require accelerating from zero again, so the time to get back to Earth would be relatively longer, about 10 days.”
“10 days, huh. That’s an unbelievable speed.” Mark was really in a bad mood today; the huge gap made him feel like everything he was doing now was futile.
Of course, aside from the continuously rising stock price providing some comfort, in front of Fan Ren, he felt like a laughable clown.
He had no doubt that once something high-value was discovered on Mars, with Xinghai’s strength, they could complete preliminary colonization of Mars, just like the lunar base, in the shortest possible time.
“Then, from now on, our Spitz Company’s transportation to and from Mars will still need to be handled by your Xinghai.”
“No problem, happy to help. By the way, Mark.”
“What is it?”
After a pause, Fan Ren’s solemn voice came through.
“No matter what, Spitz Company is the first company to land humans on Mars, which is truly impressive. Xinghai is opening up various cooperations with you precisely because of your company’s investment in space aerospace projects. Today is absolutely the most proud day of your life.”
After saying that, Fan Ren hung up the phone.
Mark’s dejected tone came through the phone almost tangibly.
No matter what, the achievement of the first manned landing on Mars was already history-making.
Without the system, Fan Ren would now just be an ordinary person full of admiration for it online.
Giving him a pep talk was only fair, especially since he was still counting on them to scout Mars’s living environment and other unknowns.
He walked to the window, his gaze falling on the space elevator hub outside that had preliminarily completed construction.
Hundreds of workers wearing lightweight pressure suits were busy with their own work.
And at the five Phase One docking ports at the hub port, Star Transport series launch vehicles were quietly waiting for cargo loading and unloading to complete.
These rockets still used chemical fuel propulsion for now, but after removing one stage of atmosphere propulsion system, their effective payload had increased to the 200-ton level.
Plus the current height of the hub providing initial acceleration, it now took only one day to reach the Moon.
In another month or so, once the lunar space elevator project led by Great Xia Ministry of Industry was completed, the Xingyun series launch vehicles would fully retire from the stage after just over a year in service.
The first deep-space transport ship jointly developed by Xinghai and Great Xia Ministry of Industry had entered the final segmental processing stage.
The Xinghai supercomputer had provided enormous help in this process, responsible for calculating the detailed data in the design blueprints.
Xinghai’s scientists and the Ministry of Industry’s designers only needed to handle the detailed design and research and development tasks for related subsystems.
Astonishingly fast.
Once this step was complete, the space elevator would transport these segments to the space hub for final assembly.
The new transport ship used tri-titanium alloy super metal for all parts throughout the entire ship. Thanks to the powerful performance of tri-titanium alloy, the completed transport ship’s payload would reach an astonishing over 100,000 tons.
Thanks to the existence of two space elevators, the transport ships would no longer need the ability to land on the Moon.
They would only handle transportation tasks between Earth’s and Moon’s space elevators.
The phone rang again suddenly at this moment.
An unfamiliar number from the United States. Fan Ren frowned slightly but didn’t hang up directly; generally, anyone able to call his mobile phone was no ordinary person.
“General Manager Fan of Xinghai, this is Nasa Aerospace Department Director Roy.”
“What is it?”
After answering the phone, Fan Ren almost couldn’t hold back from hanging up upon hearing the somewhat arrogant tone from the other side.
Roy on the other end was stunned, clearly not used to such a disrespectful response.
“It’s like this. Our Nasa’s new space station has been completed, and we will entrust your space elevator to conduct”
“There is no basis for cooperation between us.”
Without letting him finish, Fan Ren directly hung up the phone.
