My Age of Investment - Chapter 1541 dragonfly

   Chapter 1541 Dragonfly

   The question to Xia Jingxing was a white male reporter in his thirties with curly brown hair and a sincere smile on his face.

   But Xia Jingxing was not confused by the appearance, he looked down at the microphone handed out by the curly reporter, the BBC logo on it was very conspicuous.

   So Xia Jingxing smiled and replied very calmly, "We developed both the second and third stage rocket engines ourselves, and the rocket separation is a relatively simple thermal separation technology.

   Of course, we also admitted that we got the help of Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. See that launch tower behind me? It was built by the staff of Jiuquan Base, and Fuxing Aerospace does not have its own launch site for the time being. "

The curly reporter was surprised, "You have developed a rocket engine so quickly? As far as I know, it takes five years or even more than ten years to demonstrate the first flight of a rocket engine, and it has to go through countless times in between. technical verification.”

   "Yes, your data is accurate, but my team saved a lot of R&D time and gave me a big surprise."

   The curly-haired reporter still didn’t seem to believe what Xia Jingxing said and wanted to continue to ask questions, but Xia Jingxing soon handed over the right to ask questions to the next reporter.

   "Daren, do you have any clear plans for the future of Renaissance Spaceflight? For example, manned spaceflight, exploration of the moon and Mars?"

   "Our short-term goal is to launch commercial launches based on low-Earth orbit, and our long-term goal is to develop rockets with greater thrust. The goals you mentioned will all be achieved in the near future."

  The reporters took turns asking questions, and Xia Jingxing answered them one by one.

   However, in the eyes of reporters, this private aerospace company, which is rarely exposed to the public, is still full of mystery.

  Xia Jingxing was ready to end the interview after answering more than a dozen questions from reporters.

   He said to reporters who were still unfinished: "If you want to get more information about Fuxing Space, please pay attention to our launch mission notice next year."

   "Renaissance Aerospace will launch a rocket next year?"

   "Is it still the Wanhu-1 launch vehicle?"

   "Will it carry real satellites?"

  …

  The reporters dragged their feet and kept asking questions behind Xia Jingxing who had turned away.

  Xia Jingxing's behavior of running away after pretending to be forced, and leaving half of what he said was abhorrent to the reporters, and at the same time they were eager to learn more.

   But Xia Jingxing always refused to answer their questions directly, got in the car and ran away.

  The reporters were helpless, so they could only focus on the present and finish the news reports of the rocket launch.

  …

  …

   The next day.

  The news of Fuxing Aerospace's successful launch of China's first civilian-operated rocket began to appear in the newspapers on a large scale, and the news spread all over the country in an instant.

  A private company can launch rockets? Ordinary people are quite fond of this, and it has also become the talk of countless people after dinner.

The reaction of young people on the Internet is much stronger, and there are data as reference. For example, the rocket launch video uploaded to Tudou has received hundreds of millions of views in just 24 hours, and related comments and likes on Weibo have exceeded 1,000. Ten thousand.

   It can be said that Fuxing Industrial Group has never been so popular, and it has never received so much attention when it released a new mobile phone. It can be regarded as a successful out of the circle.

  The discussion about Fuxing Industrial Group on the Internet is also quite interesting, and even “What kind of company is Fuxing Industrial Group” has successfully made it to the Weibo hot search list.

   Countless netizens ended up participating in the comments, commenting on the Fuxing Industrial Group in their eyes.

Among them, Gao Zan replied: This is a Chinese private enterprise spanning consumer electronics, home appliances, automobiles, semiconductors, new energy, cloud computing and artificial intelligence, and aerospace. It has reached the world's advanced level in many fields, and continues to We are striving to lead the world in an all-round way.

   After the "Fuxing" brand became popular, the effect was that the sales of Fuxing FX3 mobile phones gradually slowed down and rose again, and countless users who had never bought Fuxing mobile phones decided to try it.

  The reason for their purchase is very simple: Can a company that can even build sophisticated rockets still can’t build a mobile phone?

   Unlike the domestic applause, Fuxing Aerospace's popularity abroad has caused a lot of controversy.

   "This must be fake news! The Republic of Korea, as a developed country, can't launch rockets, how can a Chinese company do it? And their renaissance phones are far inferior to the Samsung phones we use."

   "Indians should not buy Fuxing mobile phones. Every mobile phone they buy will be turned into funds for the Chinese to develop rockets, although the Wanhu-1 is far less than the GSLV launch vehicle."

   "Wanhu-1 was successfully launched in one shot. The guys from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have to step up their pace. It's a shame to be caught up and surpassed by a Chinese mobile phone company."

  …

  People in countries that are not very friendly to China or are vigilant and jealous have transferred this sentiment to Fuxing Aerospace. As for whether it will lead to a boycott of Fuxing mobile phones, DJI drones, and conscience computers, it remains to be seen.

  Xia Jingxing posted a high-definition picture of the rocket taking off on Twitter on the day the rocket was successfully launched, accompanied by a celebration text.

   Not long after the tweet was released, celebrities such as Gates, Andrew, Puppy, and Peter Thiel sent their congratulations.

Bezos, who owns the aerospace company Blue Origin, also wrote: "Welcome to the space club, Blue Origin will no longer be alone on the road."

   When a group of celebrities were all sending their blessings in a friendly manner, Musk's speech was a little out of place, and it looked like he was deliberately smashing the scene.

   "Wanhu No. 1 is more like a Russian rocket, with Russian rocket engines and Russian R&D personnel, only the boss is Chinese, and the rest are all made in Russia.

   Some people compare the Falcon 9 with it. I don’t think any comparison is necessary, because SpaceX is an aerospace company that insists on independent research and development, and we never take shortcuts! "

   Musk's tweet immediately sparked discussions among American netizens, and there were a lot of hooligans who waved their flags and shouted behind him, and none of them were very interested in the Russian-made rockets launched by Fuxing Space.

   In the face of Musk's provocation, Xia Jingxing responded immediately: "We are not interested in comparing with anyone, because we succeeded in one launch."

   Musk seemed to have been completely defeated by Xia Jingxing's words, and he sent several Weibo posts in response to Xia Jingxing.

"Falcon 9 has nine Merlin engines, and the thrust of a single engine is comparable to the RD-120 used by Wanhu No. 1, and the Merlin engine is developed by ourselves, so we can better control the cost of rocket launch, You can't."

   Xia Jingxing responded on Twitter: "Cost is not the only business factor, reliability is the first."

Musk seems to be excited, Xia Jingxing's tweet was released less than ten minutes ago, and he responded across the Pacific Ocean: "The reliability of Falcon 9 is also higher than yours. We successfully launched consecutively in 2010. Twice, you have only succeeded once so far."

   "Our launch success rate is 100%. You launched six times and succeeded three times. The success rate is only 50%."

   "It's just that the sample size is not large enough. Let's compare it after your rocket has been launched six times."

  …

In the Fuxing Aerospace branch in Jiuquan, Xia Jingxing sat on the sofa in the office, took out his mobile phone with a smile, and was about to see what new tweets Musk posted today. It was interesting to talk to this guy. At least global netizens regard Fuxing Aerospace as a competitor of SpaceX.

Just like when the revival mobile phone anchored the Wisdom Fruit and stepped on the old brand of the Wisdom Fruit for more than 30 years, this time the Renaissance Aerospace Anchor was established for seven years, and SpaceX, which has already made some famous names, created a kind of SpaceX for the public. The impression that the revival aerospace is not weak.

The benefits of    quickly emerged. In recent days, the commercial department of Fuxing Aerospace has received inquiries from foreign customers, who want to inquire about the launch quotation of Wanhu-1, which has been in the limelight recently.

  Xia Jingxing quarreled with Musk on the Internet, while Fuxing Aerospace was accelerating the development of the satellite launch market in private. The two sides cooperated so perfectly that Xia Jingxing even wanted to give Musk a certificate of the best partner.

   "Mr. Xia, get ready, the meeting will be held in five minutes."

  Xia Jingxing was editing today's new Twitter when Liu Xiaoduo pushed the door and walked in.

"okay, I get it."

  Xia Jingxing tapped the "Send" button lightly, then put away the phone, and went to the company's conference room with Liu Xiaoduo.

   Li Zexiang, Wang Tao, Ivanovic and others had already been there. When they saw Xia Jingxing coming in, everyone turned their attention to the boss.

   "The celebration banquet has been held, and the rewards have been distributed. Let's discuss some new topics today."

   After that, Xia Jingxing glanced at Ivanovic and asked in a gentle tone, "Has the mission for 2011 been determined?"

  Ivanovich nodded lightly and replied: "Two test launches will be carried out in June and December, and the launch tasks will be carried out by Wanhu-1 and Wanhu-1 A launch vehicles respectively."

  Xia Jingxing thought seriously for a few seconds before asking, "Is it necessary for Wanhu-1 to conduct another test launch?"

   Ivanovich coughed softly, "Daren, I remember explaining this to you before.

Among the three-stage launch vehicles used by Wanhu No. 1, the first-stage rocket is equipped with a Russian-made RD-120 engine, and the second-stage and third-stage rockets use the engines officially provided by China.

Our imitation engine will not be officially equipped until next year, and the entire equipment process will be divided into two steps. The first step is to replace the second and third stage rockets, and the second step is to replace the first stage rockets to completely complete the self-sufficiency of the rocket engine. Self-sufficient. "

  Xia Jingxing said with a smile: "Okay, you are a technical expert in this field. Whatever you do is up to you, I just ask casually."

  Ivanovic spread his hands, "Actually, like you, I really hope that Wanhu No. 1 will make a qualitative leap immediately.

   But building a rocket is a rigorous job, and every step forward takes a lot of effort.

   And the team is now divided into two project departments, one department focuses on the research and development of Wanhu No. 1, and the other department focuses on the research and development of Wanhu No. 2, which takes away a lot of our manpower.

   Of course, I'm not complaining about the lack of manpower. Fuxing Aerospace now has a full 2,000 employees, and there are even redundancy in human resources.

   But your requirement is to train a mature and reliable aerospace R&D team as soon as possible, so we can only make an arrangement of bringing the old to the new. "

  Xia Jingxing said with a smile: "I have no objection to this arrangement, there are too many goals to be achieved in the future of Fuxing Aerospace, and our demand for aerospace talents is never-ending.

   But astronauts are the treasures of all countries, and they are very hard to poach. "

   Seeing that Ivanovic's eyes were a little sad, Xia Jingxing immediately changed his words: "Of course, Ukrainian friends are willing to go to China, which is thousands of miles away, to start a business with me. I am full of gratitude and admiration."

  Ivanovich shook his head, "It's alright, it's useless for us people to stay in Ukraine, and joining the Renaissance Aerospace will not harm Ukraine's interests, so we don't have any psychological burden on this."

  Xia Jingxing nodded, and then said: "In the long run, we need to have our own talent construction and training system, and this task is up to you."

   Ivanovic smiled, "These young Chinese people are of high quality. I believe that in a few years, they will become outstanding aerospace talents."

   After exchanging opinions on cultivating talents for a while, the topic of the two returned to the launch mission next year.

"Wanhu-1, which was launched a few days ago, has basically verified our rocket design. If it is replaced with an engine developed by ourselves, this is a perfect low-orbit small and medium-sized satellite launch vehicle, with low-cost and fast deployment. , high performance and many other advantages.”

  Ivanovic paused, smiled and blinked, and said, "The Chinese officials should also be very satisfied with the launch effect of Wanhu-1. After all, we did a technical verification for them."

  Xia Jingxing coughed, "Don't repeat this question, you just need to remember that the rocket engine of Wanhu No. 1 was developed by us."

  Ivanovich made an "OK" gesture, and then didn't say much about the topic. He was also a person who knew the importance of what to ask and what not to ask.

  Xia Jingxing remembered what Shang Hong said to himself privately two days ago. In addition to expressing his official thanks, he also said that the relevant departments would once again transfer part of the rocket development technology to Fuxing Aerospace for a fee.

   Just as NASA has secretly transferred some technology to SpaceX, China Aerospace is also preparing to help revive aerospace.

   In fact, in addition to the rocket engine, many of the technologies of Wanhu No. 1 come from the official.

Although    is not the latest and most cutting-edge technology, it can also be called the essence of scientific research in China's aerospace industry for decades.

   If it is not specially approved above, these technologies will not be transferred to a private aerospace company.

   It is with these basic technologies that there is a miracle that Fuxing Aerospace successfully launched a low-orbit rocket just two years after its establishment.

   "Okay, after talking about the number one million households, let's talk about the number two million households."

  Ivanovic got up and played the PPT, and said: "This is a recoverable rocket. After the first stage of the rocket is launched and separated at high altitude, it will be recovered to the ground for subsequent launch missions.

  We named the initial version of the rocket we are researching as "Dragonfly Rocket", which means "Dragonfly" in Chinese. "

  Xia Jingxing smiled and looked at the rocket design drawing that appeared on the big screen. This is the real development direction of Fuxing Aerospace.

  If he remembers correctly, Musk is about to develop a "grasshopper rocket", so the Dragonfly rocket of Fuxing Aerospace has to pay close attention to the development progress, otherwise it will be too far behind.

Ivanovic pointed to the simulated flight diagrams on the screen and explained: "There is no precedent for the development of recoverable rockets, so we can only go step by step, such as flying 1 meter first, and then 5 meters, 10 meters, 40 meters, 80 meters…

  In countless flight tests, we will verify the re-ignition technology of rocket engines and explore the controllability of engine thrust. "

   "Will it be too slow? According to this progress, when will the recovery of the orbital rocket be achieved?" Wang Tao couldn't help but interject.

   "Don't be too slow!"

  Ivanovich looked at the dense rocket profile on the screen, shook his head and said, "I'm not even sure if this technology can be realized."

  Xia Jingxing first waved to Wang Tao, motioning him to stop talking, and then said to Ivanovic: "No matter how difficult it is, this technology must be developed.

The total launch cost of   Wanhu-1 is now more than 100 million US dollars, which translates to 100,000 US dollars per kilogram of launch cost.

   Such an expensive "ship ticket", no one who takes advantage of it is willing to pay for it.

   Of course, we are only launching for the first time, and a lot of R&D costs have been added. If we can ensure the smooth subsequent launch of the rocket, the cost can be reduced a lot, but it is difficult to reduce it to the mainstream level of several thousand dollars to more than 10,000 dollars per kilogram.

  In that case, who wants to ask us to launch satellites or transport cargo into space?

   Therefore, we must engage in the research and development of recyclable rockets, which is related to whether Fuxing Aerospace can survive in the long run. "

   Hearing Xia Jingxing's words, Wang Tao was silent for a moment, and suddenly thought of a lot.

   The successful launch of a test rocket is indeed only the first step in the long march. If Fuxing Aerospace wants to get a share of the aerospace event with the participation of the country as a unit, it must have one or two unique skills of pressing the bottom of the box.

  Retrievable rockets can be regarded as a unique skill to reduce launch costs.

   "Don't worry about research and development costs, your task is to develop the Dragonfly rocket to the point where it can be equipped with Wanhu No. 2."

   Facing Xia Jingxing's firm eyes, Ivanovic nodded solemnly, "Daren, I understand that my team and I will definitely take this as a death order to complete."

   "By the way, the development of Wanhu-1 and subsequent improved rockets cannot be delayed. Their tasks are to accumulate launch experience, sharpen the team, and verify and test our own rocket engine!

   Both are equally important. Only when they are perfectly combined can they truly become the foundation for reviving the future of spaceflight and dreaming of space! "

   (end of this chapter)