Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2808 Satellite Factory (Third Update, Please Subscribe)

The future is bright.

But reality is even crueler.

People can dream about the future there, but reality is always the cruelest. If you want to achieve a goal, there are too many things to solve.

The discovery of element 113 will remain a secret until it is declassified; its level of secrecy is unimaginable to outsiders.

Even many experts at SpaceX were unaware of this.

In fact, sometimes things are just like that. It took several years from the discovery of Element 109 to its decryption, and it was only made public after it was thoroughly studied.

While the world was in shock and the US and the Soviet Union invested heavily in its research, SEA steadily maintained its leading edge.

This is the greatest significance of secrecy.

However, at the same time, SpaceX is openly conducting a lot of research—reducing transportation costs, rocket launch costs, and a series of other studies, which are precisely the issues that space missions must address.

Once again, as the Falcon rocket sent more than 30 tons of fuel into space, amidst cheers, the rocket's booster, or first stage, slowly landed on the recovery platform. Through live television broadcast, its main body could be seen being supported by a frame.

Another successful launch has amazed the world.

This marks the sixth launch of the Falcon rocket in the past two and a half months, with all six launches being successful and the rocket being reused three times.

"They take off and land rockets at Wanhu Cape just like airplanes do, requiring only a tiny amount of natural gas..."

When a seemingly sarcastic remark came over the television news, Zhao Xiangming, watching from his TV, glanced at it and muttered to himself:

“There’s also pure oxygen, which is much more expensive than natural gas…” As he said this, he once again turned his gaze to the “Pathfinder” model on the table.

This is SpaceX's most advanced spaceplane program. To advance this program, they even purchased several An-225 Super Transport aircraft from the Soviet Union to carry the "Pathfinder" to high-altitude launch sites.

"next year……"

As he pondered this time, Zhao Xiangming nodded slightly. The development of the "Pathfinder" was progressing smoothly, and if nothing unexpected happened, the first launch test would take place at the end of next year.

Compared to reusable rockets, the Trailblazer is cheaper to launch and safer. When transporting personnel, its safety is unmatched by spacecraft. For this reason, its most important mission in the future is to transport personnel into space and to carry out flight missions to low Earth orbit.

"First, use the 'Pathfinder' spacecraft to send people and supplies into space, break free from the pull of gravity, and after entering the 'International Space Station,' then take the 'Moon Express' to the moon..."

What happens after we go to the moon?
The goal is to further expand the lunar base and eventually industrialize the moon. When the time is right, they will build a "spaceship" and Zhao Xiangming's ultimate dream—a spiral engine—on the moon.

"The key is to get out of Earth first; that's the most important step!"

For all space exploration, the most crucial step is to leave Earth and escape its gravitational pull. Only in this way can we explore the more distant future.

Wanhujiao is the foundation of all of this.

Just as Zhao Xiangming and the tens of thousands of staff members were working as usual, a news van arrived at the Federal Cooperation Satellite Factory located near "Rocket Town".

The people in the car, Rollins, were a group of reporters from NBC in the United States. They came to Wanhu Cape not only to report on the launch of the Falcon rocket, but also to visit the Satellite Factory—the first time that foreign journalists had entered the Satellite Factory for on-site interviews.

"This is a true 'satellite factory'—a factory dedicated to producing satellites."

As the company's deputy manager, Lu Xingyan spoke with pride as he introduced the factory to Rollins.

"Since the launch of the first artificial satellite, all satellites have been produced in workshops, and they are basically 'customized, low-volume' satellites, which is obviously contrary to the standards of the industrial age."

Finally, they entered the factory. The bright lights cast an even glow, with almost no shadows or blind spots, illuminating the entire satellite factory like a futuristic science fiction scene.

Rollins followed Manager Lu, stepping lightly on the smooth, anti-static floor, the only sound the low hum of the machinery in his ears—this was the birthplace of the Iridium satellites, the "star-making workshop" connecting Earth and space.

"But it's different here, isn't it?"

Lu Xingyan nodded:
"Yes, you can understand it this way—this is Ford's factory—Ford's rapid mass production of the Model T through the assembly line."

Historically, the Ford Model T was designed to be relatively simple and modular, making it easy to mass-produce on assembly lines.

"And in this satellite manufacturing factory, we've achieved mass production of satellites through standardization, automation, and production line optimization." Through the glass, the cleanroom production workshop came into view. Rollins quickly pointed his camera at the production line, while Lu Xingyan explained:

"Our entire factory uses automated production lines. From satellite component processing and assembly to testing and debugging, most of the processes are completed by robots, which greatly improves production efficiency and ensures the accuracy of the satellites."

The scene that was presented to Rollins and his colleagues was breathtaking.

Along the long production line, robotic arms operate nimbly, precisely grasping, welding, and assembling satellite components. Neatly arranged semi-finished satellites line the line, their outer shells silver-gray, with clean, flowing lines and surfaces covered with intricate wiring and interfaces.

At the other end of the production line, several workers wearing anti-static suits, goggles, and gloves were gathered around a satellite that was about to be assembled, making final adjustments.

"Our production line can produce 500 satellites a year, which is an average of 1.5 satellites per day."

"500 per year?"

Rollins paused for a moment, then said:

"This number seems to be more than the number of satellites launched by the Soviet Union and the United States in a year."

His words made Lu Xingyan laugh heartily, and he said:

"In terms of quantity, as of now, the number of Iridium satellites we have launched has already exceeded the total number of satellites launched by the United States last year. We have sent 80 Iridium satellites into space, not only achieving a space network of 66 Iridium satellites, but also starting to launch backup satellites into lower low Earth orbits. This is also the biggest advantage of Iridium—it can operate in two orbits simultaneously..."

Although Lu Xingyan was not in charge of the "Iridium" project, as the company manager, he had a certain understanding of the project.

"With the addition of low Earth orbit satellites, as more Iridium satellites enter space in the future, its user capacity will increase, eventually enabling it to provide real-time communication services to hundreds of millions of users worldwide."

Listening to Lu Xingyan's introduction, Rollins asked:
"Manager Lu, I heard that your plan is to eventually launch tens of thousands or even twenty thousand satellites into space, is that right?"

Lu Xingyan nodded.

"Yes, only in this way can we provide global communication services to users all over the world. This is also the greatest value of Iridium. No matter where on Earth, even in the most remote areas, people can use it to stay in touch with the outside world and make phone calls, without relying on ground signal towers at all."

Over the past few months, Iridium has been making headlines around the world, not just for the global communications it provides, but also for the lives it has saved time and time again.

Of course, there were also some negative news stories—Iran once proudly claimed that the US rescue forces were exposed precisely because Iranian citizens were using "Iridium phones."

Although it may not seem like a wonderful thing, Iridium is changing the world in its own way.

"Then, Manager Lu, how can the factory's current annual output of 500 satellites meet the needs of networking? That's tens of thousands of satellites. And isn't its lifespan only two years? After two years, the 'Iridium' will fall into the atmosphere and sink into the sea."

Lu Xingyan did not answer Rollins' question immediately. They continued walking forward and saw several staff members through the glass.

Pointing to the staff who were inspecting and testing the satellite, Lu Xingyan introduced:
"These staff members are all senior engineers who are responsible for monitoring the operation of automated equipment and handling some complex debugging work to ensure that every satellite meets the launch standards."

Because of the high complexity of satellites, and the fact that their commissioning requires a long time.

Our engineers are making gradual improvements and designing more standardized satellites. Our goal is to produce 1000 satellites annually next year, and 10000 satellites annually within five years.

Rollins, of course, understood this, after all, Ford's production lines were constantly being improved, and the Iridium was far superior to the Model T.

They continued walking, and Rollins saw an industrial robot installing solar panels on a satellite on the production line. The solar panels were thin sheets with fine textures on their surface, gleaming faintly under the lights.

Continuing forward, we arrived at the testing area. Here, multiple sophisticated testing devices were set up. Every assembled satellite had to undergo rigorous testing here—radiation resistance testing, high and low temperature environment testing, and communication signal testing. Only when all indicators met the standards could it proceed to the next stage of launch preparation.

“Here, each satellite undergoes hundreds of tests to ensure its stability and reliability in orbit.”

Lu Xingyan's voice rang out again:

"The design philosophy of Iridium is to reduce costs through large-scale, standardized production, achieve seamless global communication coverage, and provide communication services to users worldwide."

Looking at the futuristic factory that resembled something out of science fiction, Rollins, filled with emotion, did not forget his duty: to conduct an interview. Of course, this required asking questions. Although he had asked many questions in previous interviews, there was still one very crucial question.

“Mr. Lu, this is indeed an amazing factory. It gives you a feeling of being in the future. However, when I was in the United States, I also heard some concerns—some people worried that you, who control Iridium, could control the world’s communications secrets.”

This is precisely why Rollins and his team came here – to alleviate people's concerns about communication security.

(End of this chapter)