Chapter 93: Win-win Cooperation?
“So what? After detailed calculations by our company, the Hunter Nine Rocket is fully capable of completing round-trip navigation missions between Earth and Mars.”
Mark’s tone grew much heavier.
Fan Ren squinted at him and said leisurely, “And then? Just waiting for the biennial opposition window, mass-producing Hunter Nine Rockets at any cost to complete basic material transportation between Earth and Mars?”
“You don’t need to worry about these!” Mark slapped the table; he was already on the edge of losing his temper.
“The Star Transport Series Rocket adopts an AI intelligent system based on graphene chip technology, which currently enables autonomous flight, attitude adjustment, and route planning.
Mark, you know that humanity will never match computers in precise operations. The Star Transport Series Rocket can pre-calculate the optimal route during navigation and precisely control the power system, thereby saving a great deal of fuel.”
“What exactly do you mean?”
Seeing Mark’s temper rising, Fan Ren quickly waved his hand, signaling Mark not to get too agitated.
“We invited you all the way to Great Xia to tell you that Xinghai can provide rocket transport services for your Spitz Company. Even to Mars billions of kilometers away!”
Upon hearing this, Mark first thought that Fan Ren was humiliating him again.
No other reason: in the current global launch vehicle service market, Spitz Company holds an absolute leading market position.
Relying on their proprietary recovery technology, their rocket launch costs have been compressed extremely low, which is one reason why Spitz Company has spent a long time focusing on this money-making project.
But now Fan Ren was actually saying he would provide rocket transport services for his company.
If this wasn’t humiliating him, what else could it mean?
“Mark, once the ‘Mars Project’ starts, it’s not something you can stop just because you want to. Can the biennial launch window keep up? Can you imagine if something unexpected happens on Mars and an emergency launch is needed, but because the Hunter Nine’s range is insufficient, an accident occurs there? You know this would have a huge impact on your company’s stock price.”
Fan Ren glanced at Mark, who had calmed down again, and continued, “And if using our Star Transport Series Rocket, at least it can guarantee more than half of the free launch time choices in each Earth-Mars opposition cycle.
You can’t really expect, as described in the movies, to wait until something happens on Mars and then come begging Great Xia for help. In that case, Spitz Company would truly become a global laughingstock.”
He stopped here, waiting for Mark’s reply as he began to struggle.
As a company president with a technical background, Mark had fully understood Fan Ren’s meaning by now.
Agreeing to cooperate with Xinghai would allow Xinghai’s launch vehicle services to step on Spitz Company to formally enter the global leading position.
This was something he could not accept.
But at the same time, he also knew that if the Star Transport Series Rocket could serve the ‘Mars Project’, it could save a large sum of money just from overall cost considerations.
And as Fan Ren said, the current Hunter Nine can only launch within 8000 kilometers of Mars’ perigee to ensure enough fuel to reach Mars and return.
Missing that distance means waiting another two years for the next Earth-Mars opposition period to continue launching.
If an emergency launch is needed in between, Spitz Company has no response method at all.
If that situation really happens!
Mark couldn’t help but think of the scenes described in a Mars rescue series movie from many years ago.
Spitz Company’s stock price would inevitably experience violent fluctuations.
On one side is ground-to-orbit transport service, on the other is the ‘Mars Project’.
In Mark’s life, it was rare for him to fall into such entanglement.
After a long time, he raised his head gravely to face Fan Ren.
“I need to sign a series of high-level agreements to ensure that at some point in the future, Xinghai or Great Xia will not sabotage the project services.”
“That’s fine. The General Office of Great Xia will draft the agreement, and relevant persons will attend our signing and cooperation site.”
Fan Ren stood up, extended his hand, and a smile appeared on his face.
Seeing this, Mark no longer hesitated. After making up his mind, he was also an extremely decisive person. He extended his hand and shook with Fan Ren.
“To use your Great Xia saying, I hope our cooperation can be a win-win.”
Ten days later, when Mark arrived again at Xinghai Aerospace Base to attend the signing ceremony.
The brand-new Star Transport Two, carrying two astronauts and a 75-ton Moon orbit space station, launched successfully.
While Mark was still shocked by the powerful payload of the Star Transport Series Rocket.
Standing on Launch Pad Two, the reassembled and ready-to-go Star Transport One began igniting and lifting off.
With only one hour in between.
This launch was also successfully completed without any mishaps.
Base command hall.
“Remote sensing report: Star Transport Two attitude normal, first and second level rocket separation successful, spaceship entered the predetermined Earth-Moon orbit.”
“Remote sensing report: Docked successfully with Immortal Palace, three astronauts have successively entered Xingyun One spaceship cabin.”
“No. One spaceship report: I am ready for detachment.”
This was Li Jian’s voice, still as steady and composed as ever.
In the second-level observation room, Mark’s expression was grave. Although he had already learned that Xinghai would soon conduct a crewed Earth-Moon flight.
But he never imagined that this historic sacred moment would occur right under his nose.
And today was also the day Spitz Company signed the rocket transport service agreement with Xinghai.
“Ground received, please proceed with the next operation as planned, astronauts.”
“No. One spaceship received, cabin door locked, beginning detachment from Immortal Palace.”
The conversations from the hall resounded in Mark’s mind like a great bell, leaving him speechless for a long time.
In deep space, at the docking port outside the massive and spectacular Immortal Palace Space Station, the Star Transport One spaceship, nearly 50 meters long after shedding its first and second level rockets, slowly detached from the interface like a sea dragon.
Li Jian sat in the cockpit, gazing intently at the blue planet below his feet, which mesmerized him no matter how many times he saw it.
He made no movements with his hands; his two colleagues beside him were similarly quiet.
“Spaceship detachment successful. Proceed with propulsion system startup along the predetermined route?”
“Confirmed.”
Li Jian uttered two words, and immediately the spaceship interior resounded with the mechanical voice devoid of emotion.
“Route planning completed, propulsion system started, expected to arrive at lunar synchronous orbit in 74 hours.”
As the words fell, the three astronauts felt as if someone had gently pushed them from behind, and then they saw the Immortal Palace Station outside the window rapidly drifting into the ‘distance’.
