Strait Space Base.

Almost every day, a dozen launch vehicles go into outer space, but for the volume of transportation in near-earth orbit, it is still a drop in the bucket.

The upper limit of the chemical energy launch vehicle is too low, especially on a planet with a thick atmosphere and relatively strong gravity such as Blue Star, the upper limit of the chemical energy launch vehicle is even more stuck.

In 1962, the United States unveiled a very radical rocket design and named it the "SeaDragon" rocket.

At 150 meters long and 23 meters in diameter, the behemoth pales in comparison to the Saturn V, the largest rocket ever built by man.

The capacity of the Sea Dragon has reached an astonishing 566 kilometers and the Blue Star Low Earth orbit is 550 tons at a time, which is about four times that of Saturn V.

With a take-off weight of about 18,000 tons, the Hailong rocket is still the largest mass and capacity among the chemical energy launch vehicles with complete design demonstration.

The problem is that the fuel load ratio is as high as 32.7, which is extremely poor, plus the terrible cost.

Isn't it fragrant to use long five-D? The cost of the reusable Chang-5-D is hundreds of times lower than that of the Sea Dragon, and it is a big deal to launch a few more times to make up the carrying capacity of 550 tons.

Therefore, the scientific committee appears to be of little interest in the development of large-tonnage chemical energy launch vehicles, mainly because the use of this route in Blue Star will be thankless.

Don't look at the Illuminati to make a giant like Saturn 8 on the moon, the problem is that the environment of the moon and the blue star is different.

Now the Scientific Committee is also a big headache.

The payload of the long five-D is average; The large-tonnage chemical energy launch vehicle is ultra-cost-effective; Nuclear-powered launch vehicles cannot be used inside the atmosphere; The mass projector does not have an extra-long vacuum track for the time being; The space elevator is also a material that can't be helped.

In the long run, the future development direction of the new human race is to tend to be self-sufficient in outer space, but in the short term, Blue Star will still be the most important industrial center.

For example, nuclear fusion reactors, biological computers, precision instruments, agricultural products and food, these things rely heavily on the blue star, and this is not a problem that can be solved in a short time.

Unless the new humans are no longer human, they are all mechanized like the remnants of the HRE Federation; Or, like lizardmen, the body is covered with a layer of chloroplasts, which undergo photosynthesis.

Otherwise, people who need to eat and drink Lazar go to outer space, and there are not a few in terms of food alone.

According to the statistics of the Service Committee, there are currently 1,248 new humans living in outer space for a long time (more than a month), and 500~800 mobile astronauts.

This number is constantly being refreshed, and it is expected that by January of the second year of the new era, the permanent population of outer space may exceed 3,000.

Astronauts need to consume quite a bit of food every day, and over time, more and more food will need to be consumed.

This is a big issue that cannot be ignored, and it is related to the progress of the colonization of outer space by new humans.

……

Qin Jingwei looked at the display screen on the side, which was scrolling with the space launch schedule, and the 24 launch sites in the Strait Space Base were almost full.

"Director Qin, this is the launch list sent by the Spacecraft Research Institute just now."

After receiving the staff's documents, Qin Jingwei ordered with a headache: "Adjust the launch and take out one of the launch shifts the day after tomorrow." ”

"But the launch schedule the day after tomorrow is very important...... "The person in charge of the launch scheduling office looked depressed.

Qin Jingwei said helplessly: "It must be launched the day after tomorrow, the priority of the Spaceship Research Institute is 8.7, you know." ”

"Priority 8.7! All right! ”

There is a priority evaluation system within the new human being, the priority is between 0~10, and the artificial intelligence evaluates, the higher the priority index, the units, enterprises, and individuals who receive the task must give priority to the tasks with the high priority index.

Task priorities are also not static, and AI will make dynamic corrections based on time and actual conditions.

Generally speaking, if the priority index is above 8, it is basically a very urgent task.

After the order was completed, Qin Jingwei was about to go to the warehouse, but a message popped up on his communicator.

"Trouble is here again."

He grumbled and hurried to the port.

A transport ship of the Aerospace Science and Industry Group is moored in the port, and the gantry crane lifts a carrier rocket from the transport ship and slowly puts it on a super-large electric transport vehicle.

Li Guoqing got off the boat.

"Jingwei, arrange a launch site for us."

"Lao Li, there have been no launch shifts in the past few days, and we may have to wait for next week." Qin Jingwei replied angrily.

Li Guoqing impatiently handed over the launch application: "I'm in a very anxious hurry. ”

"The launch tasks of other units are also very urgent." Qin Jingwei spread his hands, looking helpless.

"Take a look." Li Guoqing shoved the launch application slip over.

Qin Jingwei, who glanced at the application form, suddenly widened his eyes, and the priority index was 9.3?

"Guohao."

"Roger, Director Qin."

"Immediately empty a launch site and come out, there is an urgent task, priority index 9.3."

"Okay."

Half an hour later, Launch Site 17 was quickly emptied and the launch program was ready.

A launch vehicle with a height of 70 meters was erected on the launch tower of the launch site.

Judging from the appearance, this launch vehicle is not quite the same as the Chang V family, especially the four auxiliary booster rockets, the head is not a pointed type, but a concave hourglass type.

The camouflage is codenamed: Qianjin No. 1 - Type A

……

Qin Jingwei, who was busy preparing for the launch, hurriedly said: "Lao Li, the launch procedure has been completed and it is ready to be launched." ”

"Then let's launch!"

Qin Jingwei shouted into the communicator: "Qianjian-1 has entered the countdown to launch. ”

"Roger."

There is a big difference between the Qianjian-1 and the launch of a general chemical energy launch vehicle.

The four booster rocket heads begin to force inhalation, and then compress the gas into the ionization chamber, and the nuclear fusion reactor uses the fastest and most violent electrical energy to directly ionize the compressed air, and then spray it directly through the engine nozzle.

The Qianjian-1 launch vehicle, carrying 200 tons of test items, was propelled into the sky by plasma.

Moreover, as the flight speed of the rocket increases, the four boosters start the active plus passive aspiration mode, and the troposphere and stratosphere, which are very densely concentrated in the atmosphere, provide a huge heating working fluid for the launch vehicle.

As the altitude increases, the air becomes thinner, and Qianjian-1 begins to use a solid powder working fluid stored in-house.

"Report, Forward No. 1 breaks through the Kármán line."

"The core level separation was successful."

"Preparing ...... for recycling"

Li Guoqing, who was in the launch command hall, hurriedly checked a series of data with his assistant.

In fact, the method used by the Qianjian-1 is a jet engine, but instead of using the compressed air to ignite the chemical fuel, the electricity from the nuclear fusion reactor directly ionizes the compressed air.

This is to depress the fuel load ratio of the launch vehicle, using the air of the atmosphere as a working fluid.

The Qianjian-1 has a total weight of 850 tons and a payload of 200 tons, of which 420 tons are working fluids and a working fluid-to-load ratio of 2.1.

The purpose of the design is to use the Blue Star - low earth orbit - medium orbit transportation.

This time, the test of Qianjian-1 was to carry 200 items to the new Jiuquan Satellite City to transport a batch of raw materials for processing.