Reborn in 2010, the AI ​​in my mind is too powerful.

2014年4月1日，猎鹰九号竖立在美国卡纳维拉尔角空军站SLC-40发射台，準备进行向国际空间站运送物资的CRS-3任务。

This time, preparations were also made at the former LC-13 launch pad, 6 miles away.

This site was once the launch site for the Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile. SpaceX urgently negotiated with the US government and leased it from the US Air Force for 5 years, which can be considered a way to reuse waste.

The staff have dismantled all the old equipment and built a reinforced concrete landing pad with a giant X logo.

In 2014, SpaceX was not very prominent. Although it already had a group of hardcore fans, it had not yet broken into the mainstream. Musk's supporters were more concerned with Tesla's movements.

But today is different. Chen Yiran had been promoting it on Twitter for a while now, saying that they would be having a big celebration for Xiao Ping'an's first birthday.

So, in addition to the veteran rocket enthusiasts who have been waiting for launches in Florida since the Space Shuttle era, there were also many onlookers. Many young women even held up photos of Chen Yiran, hoping that he could choose a concubine or something.

Some were even more outrageous, bringing their daughters along, holding up signs, and jokingly asking if they could marry into the Chen family.

In short, what was supposed to be a serious launch gradually turned into a celebration, which is quite typical of the United States.

The lineup at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida today was quite impressive, as the station had been transformed into a launch center. Bigwigs from various Aurora Group companies were all present, and they were also very curious about SpaceX's future.

In truth, neither Chase nor Bain Capital really understood why Chen Yiran valued SpaceX so much, even though they knew that this might be the first successful rocket recovery in human history.

They knew it was a major technological breakthrough, but commercially they didn't realize just how much of an impact it would have.

From the perspective of commercial launch services alone, that is, the revenue from sending commercial payloads into orbit, the market is only about two billion US dollars. Even if all the needs of government and military space stations are included, it is less than ten billion US dollars.

Bain Capital took it very seriously. They had specialists do more detailed calculations. In 2013, the global space economy totaled $330 billion, of which nearly half was satellite services, ground equipment accounted for $60 billion, and the launch segment only accounted for $6 billion.

They simply couldn't understand why Chen Yiran would spend $15 billion to buy 50% of SpaceX's shares, a valuation three times higher than that of conventional commercial institutions.

John Connally whispered to Chen Yiran, "I have to be honest with you, Mr. Chen Yiran, there is considerable confusion within Bain Capital regarding this investment."

However, your past achievements leave us with no reason to question you, and we hope you can lead Aurora to even greater heights.

Chen Yiran tilted his head back and pointed at the group of people with white headscarves a few times, saying, "What do you have to question? These Middle Eastern princes have invested 50 billion in Aurora, in cash! Based on the valuation of this investment, our valuation has exceeded one trillion US dollars, which is basically on par with Apple."

"Yes, yes, we feel that this amount is indeed quite large. We've noticed some changes in you recently, and we're wondering if Aurora has any major plans or strategies in mind?"

Nobody's a fool. In the past month, Chen Yiran has become far too diligent, answering technical questions from various companies almost every day in the background, making the company's employees feel that something big is about to happen.

As a board member, Bain naturally has some factions within the group. They all reported that Chen Yiran has been acting improperly lately. They even suspected that Chen Yiran had some terminal illness and was about to die, and was making a big show of things before he died.

"Alright, alright, you all advise me when I'm lazy, and you still advise me when I'm diligent. When I spend money slowly, you tell me to spend it quickly. Now that I spend money quickly, you're not happy either. You guys are really hard to please."

Alright, let's watch this launch closely. This is another major breakthrough for Aurora. From now on, rockets and satellites will belong to us.

John Connally didn't say anything more and followed Chen Yi behind, starting to watch the launch obediently.

Thirty-four minutes before launch, the launch commander confirmed the launch readiness status, followed by fuel loading.

Ten minutes before launch, the Falcon 9 engine began its pre-launch cooling process.

Two minutes before launch, the range controller confirmed that the range was ready.

One minute and 30 seconds before launch, the SpaceX launch director confirmed that the launch was ready and handed the microphone to Chen Yiran, who then gave the order to prepare for launch.

One minute before launch, the flight computer instructed the final pre-launch checks to begin and the propellant tanks to be pressurized.

Chen Yiran sensed that Claude had greeted him through the flight computer.

With the final countdown, the Falcon 9 ignited and lifted off.

The launch went smoothly, but everyone knew what was on everyone's mind this time.

One minute later, the rocket reached its maximum dynamic pressure point. Another minute later, the first-stage main engine shut down, and the first and second stages began to separate.

A dozen seconds later, the second-stage engine started to ignite, and the single Merlin 1D engine vacuum version successfully ignited. She was about to complete her final delivery task.

Afterwards, the fairing protecting the load was jettisoned.

Another minute later, the first stage initiated its return thrust ignition, performed a 30-second return maneuver, reversed its flight course, and began its return journey towards Cape Canaveral.

Musk couldn't wait any longer. He rushed out of the launch control center and looked up at the night sky from the causeway next to it. The landing zone was only a few kilometers away.

Chen Yiran carried Ping An outside, and Olsen quickly put glasses and earmuffs on the child. Live cameras and various bodyguards followed closely behind.

His departure had no consequence; the remaining people had no choice but to follow him out.

Eight minutes after launch, the three engines reignited for 20 seconds to further decelerate and counteract the aerodynamic heating during reentry into the atmosphere.

A minute later, everyone saw something that looked like a cigarette butt falling down as if it were upside down.

The center engine successfully ignited, and after 32 seconds of landing ignition, the landing legs deployed, and the first stage landed steadily and vertically in the center of LZ-1.

In reality, due to the perspective, although it looks impressive, everyone still doesn't understand the specific situation. Without the data from the command center, no one knows whether each procedure is correct.

The sonic boom occurred just as the rocket hit the ground, leading many to believe it had exploded.

Once everything had truly settled, everyone began to cheer. Musk was almost frantic, unable to contain his excitement, shaking hands with everyone present, whether he knew them or not. He even picked up Xiao Ping'an and kissed him on the cheek.

Chen Yiran snatched the child away with a hint of disgust, took out a tissue and started wiping him, making everyone present laugh.

Even those Aurora shareholders who were initially less supportive are now very excited. This sci-fi-like repossession scenario is enough to make everyone forget all reason. If it goes public now, it could probably be worth hundreds of billions of US dollars.

In the live stream room, comments are popping up like crazy as everyone starts to enjoy the future of technology.

Chen Yiran carried Xiao Ping'an to the camera, held the baby high, and immediately cosplayed as the Lion King. Musk then ran over and started making faces at the camera.

That evening, Aurora Group announced on Twitter that it had made further investments in SpaceX and would build the Starlink network to provide opportunities for everyone in the world who wants to use the Internet.