Reborn in 2011, I am the chief designer of aerospace.

The task manual is open to the first page.

The above details each stage of the mission, as well as the theoretically possible emergencies.

But Song Xingye knew that the Russians hadn't put any effort into making a contingency plan; they had simply copied the old plan.

They are too arrogant.

In the last minute, the 01 commander of the Aerospace Force put on a microphone and rattled off a lot of words.

Song Xingye struggled to translate a few sentences before giving up and only perked up when the countdown reached 10.

Unlike the countdown timers commonly used by East Asian countries, such as "10, 9, 8... ignition, takeoff," the Russians typically don't announce numbers in the final stages; instead, they announce the status of the action.

As the last umbilical tower lever was deflected, the first flash of light, marking engine ignition, illuminated on the screen.

"Pusk... (Start)"

At the commander's command, the key on the launch control panel was turned by an assistant.

"Zazhiganiye... (ignition)"

On the screen, a cloud of white mist burst out from the bottom of the engine, igniting the liquid oxygen and kerosene, and the rocket entered the automatic ignition program.

"Predvaritelnaya... (Pre-stage thrust)"

"Glavnaya... (Main stage thrust)"

As the flames intensified and pressurized wildly within the combustion chamber, the deafening roar even penetrated 1.5 kilometers away, shaking the thick walls of the control center bunker and making the floor beneath one's feet go numb.

"Pod'yom!" (Take off!)

The 1.2-meter-tall electronic clock at the launch control center has counted down to 0.

As soon as the Russian commander finished speaking, the support arm of the launch pad opened up with a roar, like a blooming tulip.

With a puff of white smoke, the engine roared to full speed, emitting a terrifying noise and vibration.

The Baikonur Grassland seemed to be bathed in the glow of the rising sun!

As expected, billowing exhaust fumes, like a tornado, engulfed all the photography positions around the launch pad.

In just a few seconds, the massive Zenit rocket was completely engulfed by its exhaust plume and disappeared without a trace.

But the next second, it steadily lifted off the ground and slowly rose.

The gas ejected from the frenzied combustion of liquid oxygen and kerosene created a dazzling orange-yellow Mach ring, forcefully dispersing the clouds and mist.

One minute later, the program changed direction.

The rocket perfectly entered its designated orbit, carrying two fragile Mars probes, and began its journey to accelerate away from Earth.

Two minutes later, the first-level separation occurred.

The lights from the four engines suddenly stopped and went out, before they crashed to the ground.

The second-level sun began to burn, rising into the night sky and growing smaller and smaller.

Soon, it became a tiny dot that even a telephoto lens couldn't capture, disappearing from view on the ground.

Only optical theodolites can barely track its whereabouts.

Fortunately, there were cameras inside the rocket.

Another eight minutes or so passed.

The second stage rocket completed its first ignition.

The bigwigs at the launch control center finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The rocket has reached its initial Earth orbit, approximately 160 kilometers above the ground.

After a short glide and waiting for the second ignition of the second stage rocket, the first stage of the mission will be successfully completed!

The atmosphere in the control center began to warm up, and the commanders, chief designers, and leaders of the space agency even started chatting and laughing.

Amidst the joyful atmosphere, only Song Xingye's heart remained suspended in mid-air.

He didn't know when that sword of Damocles would fall.

【T+00:27:00】

A green "SES-2" message popped up on the large screen directly in front of me.

The Zenit second stage rocket successfully ignited for the second time!

【T+00:27:05】

The second-stage engine shuts down and separates from the final-stage detector assembly.

In the simulated animation on the screen, what detaches from the second-stage rocket is an extremely complex and massive assembly—

Its main body is the Phobos Mars probe, which weighs 13.5 tons, with the small Yinghuo 1 probe hanging on the side.

At their bottoms, there is also an MDU (main thruster) and two huge external fuel tanks.

Strictly speaking, this MDU was modified from the Frega-SB upper stage rocket and is considered part of the Zenit.

However, it was also welded onto the Phobos probe, so it was related to both.

In short, as the two stages of the Zenit spacecraft jettisoned, it served as the power core, carrying the two interstellar travelers into a near-Earth parking orbit.

This means they have officially become a new satellite of Earth!

【T+00:28:30】

Loud reports rang out over the loudspeakers at the Baikonur control center:

"Academician Chelomey completes dual capture; target spotted in East Asian waters!"

"Tracking in the waters off Japan is normal; the telemetry signal from the amphibious assault ship is stable!"

【T+00:29:00】

"Forbes solar panels are ready to deploy, solar panels are ready to deploy, solar panels are ready to deploy..."

【T+00:30:00】

"Solar panels deployed!"

"Relay antenna deployment normal! Combined aircraft flight attitude normal!"

Good news keeps coming.

The Dongguo test team couldn't contain their excitement and immediately sent the good news back to the Jingzhou Aerospace Control Center:

"Based on real-time orbit and telemetry data monitoring of Baikonur, the Phobos probe combination has entered a near-Earth parking orbit with a perigee altitude of 200 kilometers, an apogee altitude of 400 kilometers, an inclination of 51.4 degrees, and a period of approximately 90 minutes."

"The combined flight environment is normal, the solar panels are deploying normally, and the Yinghuo-1 telemetry signal is stable. Subsequent plans will proceed according to the normal flight control schedule!"

"Initial orbital elements and separation parameters have been sent back to the Jingzhou Flight Control Center. Please forward them to the Chang'an Satellite Control Center and the Kuaiji Maritime Tracking and Control Department in a timely manner..."

Because it is a joint exploration effort between the two countries, all information and data are shared among them.

The Eastern Kingdom will also undertake some of the telemetry and control tasks, helping the R Kingdom fill the telemetry and control blind spots in East Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the port of Tartus...

As the initial orbital data flowed to various telemetry and control stations, thunderous applause and cheers erupted in the Baikonur Control Center.

The Russian commander, number 01, stood up with a smile, handing over control to the telemetry and control department with a wave of his hand:

"The restaurant has prepared a sumptuous late-night snack. Thank you all for your hard work tonight!"

Song Xingye rubbed his rumbling stomach and followed the experimental team toward the restaurant.

At the dining table, he mechanically chewed on the flatbread wrapped with roasted lamb, but his eyes were somewhat glazed over.

Am I just overthinking things?

Could it be that his rebirth triggered a butterfly effect, making this doomed mission a success?

If that's the case, then that would be wonderful.

When the late-night snack ended, the test team returned to the control center. Someone glanced at their watch and said that the Phobos probe would soon be passing overhead.

So a group of people looked up at the starry sky with great interest, trying to find the small bright spot that was moving from west to east.

Unfortunately, the Phobos was too small, not as large and eye-catching as the International Space Station. After being exposed to the cold wind for a long time, everyone had to return disappointed.

When I returned to my seat, almost 90 minutes had passed since the combined vehicle entered the 200×400km orbit.

According to the Hohmann transfer law, when the perigee is ignited and accelerated, the apogee will be raised accordingly.

When this apogee is raised far enough, the probe will completely escape Earth's gravity and head towards Mars!

For example, a super-large elliptical orbit of 200 x 2 million kilometers.

However, this process is not something that can be accomplished overnight; it requires at least two precise ignitions and accelerations to reach the second cosmic velocity.

Just then, an accident happened!

According to telemetry data transmitted back by Phobos, the probe appears to have fallen into confusion or suddenly become disoriented, and its navigation system has malfunctioned!

"It must be a software logic dead loop," said Andrei, director of the Baikonur Cosmodrome. "The computer system must be restarted immediately."

"No!"

This proposal was immediately opposed by Sergei Popovkin and Engineer Chen.

Restarting at this critical juncture could very likely cause the probe to lose all attitude data, turning it into a headless fly.

At that time, the Phobos will tirelessly search for Mars in the vast universe until it crashes.

Sergei, being the chief designer, made the final decision:

"Let's wait and see! The flight control computer is about to execute the MDU's first ignition program; perhaps the error correction protection mechanism will automatically intervene and restore navigation to normal!"

Chen, standing nearby, frowned, clearly disagreeing with this approach.

But in Baikonur, this was the Russians' home turf, and he had no power to make decisions. He could only patiently stare at the screen, his palms sweating profusely.

【T+02:30:00】

Finally, about 2.5 hours after launch.

The Phobos probe combination has already circled its parking orbit 1.7 times and is currently flying over South America.

The onboard computer finally triggered the first ignition command for the MDU!