Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2562 Spaceplane (First Update, Please Subscribe)
He took a puff of his cigar, and the smoke he exhaled filled the study.

After a long silence, Yuan Jialiu finally spoke:
"This, this is indeed amazing, perhaps that's possible."

"It might be even faster because both the United States and the Soviet Union were obsessed with technology. As long as they made a breakthrough in one area, they would devote all their efforts to developing it. Take the X-Crystal, for example. From the time we made it public to the time that various countries put it into use, they have made considerable breakthroughs in the past few years. Such speed is unprecedented. And the Soviet Union's Mars mission and the United States' development of the Sea Dragon rocket may not be without its involvement."

It definitely will, because only chips made from X-crystals can process that much data. Compared to silicon chips, chips made from X-crystals have performance improvements of tens or even hundreds of times.

The processors used in some fields now have performance levels that have reached those of the 21st century, even though we are still in the submicron era, thanks to the good performance of the materials.

Its current performance limit is entirely due to the inadequacy of human manufacturing technology. Of course, another reason is... it's too expensive.

"Its performance is indeed excellent, but it's still too expensive!"

Yuan Jialiu said with some helplessness:

"We discovered it on the moon, and it revolutionized electronics. However, it's still too expensive due to transportation issues. The cost of transportation is too high. Although we are constantly improving transportation methods in hopes of reducing costs, its price is still dozens of times that of gold. Even the cheapest chip costs tens of thousands of yuan... It's just too expensive."

While lamenting its high price, Yuan Jialiu also said:

"Therefore, SpaceX's core mission remains reusable rockets. Only through them can we minimize the cost of traveling to the moon. Once we reduce this cost, the transportation of lunar mineral crystals will also decrease. So, Mars..."

Returning to the topic of Mars, Yuan Jialiu said:
"Our current research focus remains on the theoretical research of new types of propulsion systems, while at the same time, we also aim to achieve the practical application of reusable rockets and eventually put them into use."

"You're right,"

Nodding, Li Yi'an said:

"Therefore, this is the biggest difference between our space missions and theirs. We never compete for the so-called first place. We are more focused on practicality; we conduct our space missions from a practical perspective. This is the foundation for the sustainable development of the space industry!"

Having witnessed the collapse of the Soviet space program due to the lack of financial support in another world, and also witnessed the decline of NASA's space exploration, Li Yi'an deeply understands what is most important in the space industry.

It's money!

It's not just about having money for space exploration; the most important thing is to become a dairy cow!
Only by becoming a cow that can be milked can space avoid becoming a useless burden, like Russia, which, with its economic downturn, has in some ways effectively abandoned its cosmos.

The stars and the sea... The Vikings also reached North America, but why didn't they stay?

Ultimately, it's because they failed to produce milk in North America like Normans did in France.

Any endeavor that does not produce results cannot last.

At this point, Li Yi'an turned his gaze to Yuan Jialiu and said:
"Jia Liu, this is why we need you to run the company."

Once again, Li Yi'an tried to persuade Yuan Jialiu to stay, because Yuan Jialiu had long wanted to retire.

He can retire, but definitely not now.

"Because we need to turn space into a conquerable domain, a domain that can create wealth and shape the future, and you can help me achieve this goal."

"Zhiyuan..."

Before Yuan Jialiu could speak, Li Yi'an said:

"Don't forget our promise, we're going to conquer the stars and the sea together."

After saying that, Li Yi'an turned his gaze to the window and then said:
"Let the whole world cheer for Mars! This is the glory that explorers deserve, just like Columbus. This glory belongs to them. But us, we..."

Turning back to look at Yuan Jialiu, Li Yi'an stared at him intently and said:

"We are conquering space, conquering the universe, after all, our journey is to the stars and the sea!"

Our journey is to the stars and the sea!

This is not wishful thinking, but a reality. As the first country in the world to send humans into space, SEA has never stopped its exploration of space over the years. From sending humans into space to building the first lunar base—Outpost 1—Outpost 1, built inside a lava tube, has expanded into the world's largest lunar base in recent years.

That is the first stop in conquering space and heading towards the stars.

What is the biggest problem with this site?
"It's about cost!"

Once again, in the office, Yuan Jialiu stated bluntly:

"For us, the most important thing is to reduce costs. The high transportation costs are the biggest problem for our lunar development. Because of the transportation costs, the chips can only be used in high-value equipment. Because of the transportation costs, our lunar exploration is still at an extremely low level. Because of the costs, we cannot even expand our base further. We cannot send larger reactors, build larger bases, or build refineries on the moon... All the problems are actually transportation problems!"

As Yuan Jialiu finished speaking, Qian Fukang said:
"Compared to three years ago, our cost per kilogram of payload has been reduced by 50%. According to the corresponding calculations, after the reusable rocket is put into use, it can be reduced by another 70% or even 90%, at which point the problem of high launch costs will be basically solved."

As the chief engineer of SpaceX, Qian Fukang has devoted all his energy in recent years to the development of reusable rockets. According to relevant departments' calculations, launch costs will drop to an extremely low level.

Its emergence will completely change and revolutionize the pace of space development. According to optimistic estimates, once reusable rockets are put into use, the development of the moon will also enter a full-speed phase.

They will truly establish mining sites and refineries on the moon, not only to produce crystals but also to manufacture rockets, and use the moon as a base to venture into deeper space.

All of this has even been included in SpaceX's future vision plans. That's why reusable rockets have become a key focus in all projects.

"That's not enough..."

Yuan Jialiu shook his head and said:
"We need a real Earth-based space transportation system, not just rockets."

As he finished speaking, Qian Fukang glanced at the model on his desk and then said:

"You've decided to approve the 'Space Transportation System' plan!"

Nodding, Yuan Jialiu walked to the desk, looked at the model, and said:

"At present, this plan is very realistic. Reusable rockets may reduce launch costs to the greatest extent possible, and it..."

He pointed to the model on his desk and said:

"The Pathfinder could very well bring us a completely new way of thinking."

The trailblazer he mentioned was the "spaceplane project" proposed by Zhao Xiangming, an engineer at the company. This project involved using a large aircraft to carry the spaceplane and launch it from the air. The plan sounded simple, but the biggest challenge was the spaceplane itself—the Trailblazer.

According to the plan, this is a spaceplane that can "freely travel through the atmosphere" and can be used to transport supplies to the "International Space Station" in low Earth orbit. Moreover, its launch cost is very low, basically close to that of a reusable rocket.

"Theoretically speaking, it is indeed very good. Using a large transport vehicle to launch via a stratospheric jump can reduce the complexity of ground takeoff. However, its obstacle is the engine, a new type of engine. We are still conducting theoretical research. The advantage of reusable rockets is that the technical difficulty is much lower than that of spaceplanes. It can be improved based on traditional rocket engines. In terms of thermal protection, it is also more similar to manned spacecraft and space shuttles."

When re-entering Earth's atmosphere, there's no need for prolonged high-speed flight in the dense atmosphere. The structure is also relatively lighter and simpler than a spaceplane, with a larger payload capacity and storage space. Reusable rockets can also be used on celestial bodies without oxygen-rich atmospheres, such as the Moon and Mars.

Yuan Jialiu deeply agreed with Qian Fukang's answer, saying:

"You're right, but it also has high infrastructure requirements, low takeoff and landing turnaround time, and is far less safe and comfortable than a spaceplane, making it less flexible and convenient. A spaceplane, on the other hand, has a high lift-to-drag ratio and excellent aerodynamic characteristics, giving it much greater lateral maneuverability when re-entering the atmosphere than a reusable rocket. Because it can glide back and gradually decelerate, its G-forces are much lower than those of a reusable rocket entering the atmosphere. Furthermore, if a reusable rocket's engine malfunctions, it will make a hard landing with very low tolerance for error, while a spaceplane can glide to a forced landing."

Therefore, it is more suitable for transporting people. Moreover, with the further expansion of the International Space Station and the lunar base in the future, especially the expansion of the lunar base, it will not only need to transport a large amount of equipment, but more importantly, personnel. It may need to transport dozens or even hundreds of people into space each time, while using rockets with low fault tolerance...

After a moment of deep thought, Yuan Jialiu explained his ideas:

"There are certain risks involved. I believe that our future direction should be the simultaneous development of reusable rockets and spaceplanes, and their niches are different. The former will be used for cargo transportation, while the latter will be used for human transportation, serving as transport ships for people to enter space. In that case, going to space will be like a scheduled flight. Only in this way can we truly establish a space colony and fully develop the moon. After all, such full development requires people, not just a few dozen, but hundreds or thousands of people, not just astronauts, but ordinary people from all walks of life and all fields!"

After listening to Yuan Zuliu's idea, Qian Fukang pondered for a while and then said:

"Well... there's still a big problem that needs to be solved."

(End of this chapter)