I don't know if it's because of the comfort telegrams and letters from the people of the whole country, the second launch of the Austar B1 is still live.

On August 14, 1992, the second launch of the Ostar B1 became the Hughes company's satellite, which has the highest accuracy in orbit in all previous launches in the world.

Broke the world record for orbit entry accuracy.

This record was originally held by the [Asia-1] launch mission with Liang Tian as the driver of the special loading vehicle.

"This is an ideal failure and a perfect success" is another highlight moment in the field of international commercial launch of China's aerospace industry.

"Old man Liang, do you call this the darkest hour?" Fang Yuan felt that he had been fooled by the chief designer.

"You little doll, why are you so impatient?"

"I've been squatting here listening to you for an hour, and I'm still impatient?"

"What are you doing squatting, you find a chair to sit and listen!"

Fang Yuan looked at Liang Xinghuo, he originally had a chair that could be beckoned at any time, but when the Galaxy Ship was designed, he didn't think that there would be a third person.

It's not that there is no other place to sit on a huge starship.

But the chair specially customized for him was just that, and it was coincidentally sat by Liang Xinghuo.

Liang Xinghuo didn't know such a situation.

Because he closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, it was impossible to see Fang Yuan's somewhat complaining eyes.

Before, he just couldn't control his own brain group, but now it's good, he can't even control his own chair.

Fang Yuan just squatted like this.

Stubbornly did not summon his own chair.

Just kidding, when the chair came, so did the people in the chair.

In this way, it was as if he wanted to get close to the [Martian Cave].

Even if you want to get close, you can't do it in front of your great-grandfather!

Liang Tian has completely entered the rhythm of recalling the launch of the Aozis B1.

Launch abort is a completely new term.

The term was coined to achieve a "win-win-win" outcome.

If the launch fails, the insurance company needs to initiate the compensation procedure, and the satellite company needs to re-tender for the launch mission.

A series of formalities will be very troublesome.

The trouble here can be approximately equal to time.

And what Hughes lacks most is time.

The two Australian satellites they built were used to replace the first generation of Australia's national communications satellites, which were about to expire in their operational life.

Not to mention that an Aussie itself is worth $140 million.

If it is not launched, the economic loss caused by communication will only be greater than the original value of the satellite.

The preservation of the satellite is a kind of aftermath for the client and the satellite manufacturing company.

This is also why, after signing such a harsh contract, in the end, I had to pay the balance in advance to support the second launch.

Only the abortation of the launch, which is neither successful nor unsuccessful, is the fastest way for this satellite to be delivered.

In the 90s, failed satellite launches were a common occurrence.

A large part of it exploded in the air, and the arrows destroyed the stars, and we had to start over from the satellite manufacturing process.

Chinese astronauts have created a third possibility.

While most people are still immersed in the sorrow of launch failure, Hughes sees endless potential.

At that time, what astronauts all over the world were hotly discussing was not how the launch failed, but how the Chang Erbundle was shut down urgently after ignition.

"That's right, old man Liang, how did the rocket stop?" Fang Yuan couldn't help but be a little curious.

"I asked Brother Dong." "They didn't know it at first. ”

"Don't we know about it ourselves?" Fang Yuan asked.

"Yes, didn't you say it at the beginning, this is a situation that has never happened in the history of world aerospace?"

"Then Brother Dong went to find the reason?"

"Nope. Finding the reason is a later thing. Liang Tian reminded loudly: "Xiao Fangyuan, think about the situation at that time. ”

Although the launch was aborted, the rocket had already completed its ignition.

At the moment of ignition, the six engines of the long two bundles sprayed out flames with a high temperature of nearly 2000 °C.

Although the rocket did not take off, it was not completely unmoving.

A slight displacement is visible to the naked eye.

Think about the state of the long two bundles at this time.

The whole is a giant bomb that is 50 meters high, weighs 400 tons, and is filled with space fuel.

If you are not careful, let alone the launch tower, the entire launch site will become a sea of fire.

At that time, it will not only be the crumbling rocket and the satellites carried by the rockets that will be lost.

Never before in the history of space launch on Earth has a rocket ignited, but neither lifted off nor exploded.

The explosion of a rocket on the ground can be much more terrifying than the result of an explosion in the air.

The people at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center are naturally not sure what will happen next.

Just because there is no explosion one second does not mean that there is no explosion in the next second.

The engine was shut down, and it was far from the time when the crisis was resolved.

The commander of the ground equipment system consulted Ji Zhidong, and rushed to the bottom of the launch tower without a trace of hesitation with the rescue team members.

At this time, astronauts have only one thought in their hearts.

Keep the Aoxing, keep the long two bundles, and keep the satellite launch center.

The thought was so strong that no one had time to think about whether their lives would be in danger.

Around the launch pad, there were waves of air and billowing smoke.

The rescue personnel rushed to the edge of the launch pad, but they couldn't see clearly, and there was no way to get close.

In order to avoid being swept away by the air waves, the rescuers put their arms together.

Leaning on me, I pushed you, and just forcibly threw yourself into the air waves.

The launch tower was hit by high temperatures, and the galoshes under their feet creaked.

It is in this situation that astronauts go to fix the rocket that has been displaced by 10 centimeters and unplug the power supply.

At this time, as long as there is a slight static electricity, or signal interference, the rocket may explode on the spot.

In addition, in the body of the rocket, there are also explosive products such as electric squibs and detonators.

If these things are not taken out in time, they can also cause an explosion at any time.

Rescue personnel can only take out these pyrotechnics by climbing into the hatch 40 centimeters square.

But it's not enough to just climb in.

The pyrotechnics are placed in the middle of the rocket, not the hatch.

The crumbling rocket stands on the launch tower, and if you want to get up from it, you have to build a working ladder.

It happened suddenly, and it was unprecedented.

There was no such plan at the scene.

Work ladders, lights, gas masks, nothing.

But none of this can stop the astronauts' determination to rescue the emergency.

There is no gas mask, so you can only cover your mouth and nose with clothes and a towel.

There is no working ladder, and one by one you directly step on your shoulders and climb up.

There is no light, so I rely on my usual experience to grope in the dark.

For a full 39 hours, outside the live news, in places that people can't see, the astronauts used their flesh and blood to save the Aoxing B1, the Changer Bundle, and the entire launch site.

Everyone who participated in the rescue and disaster relief only reacted after being saved, and began to be afraid.

After the investigation, the fault was found to be in the power distributor of the launch vehicle booster ignition control system program.

Between the fourth and fifth conductive contacts of the program distributor, there is a trace of aluminum excess weighing only 0.15 mg.

The arc generated by such a "small point" turned on the shutdown contact, causing the rocket booster to shut down after ignition.

Due to the uneven thrust, the rocket broke away from the fixation of the launch tower, and before it had time to take off, it fell directly down, which caused a dislocation of nearly ten centimeters.

Ten centimeters is a very small displacement compared to the height of the long two bundles of 50 meters.

But such a small displacement is enough to cause the center of gravity of the rocket to be unstable and directly dump and explode.

At this time, the god of fate favored the Xichang Satellite Launch Center.

The No. 2 station of the launch of the Austar B1 is for the new rush of the long two bundles.

The previous rocket launch tables in our country were completely flat.

When designing the long two-bundle launch platform, Ji Zhidong made a miracle on the periphery of the circular platform and drew a few millimeters thick high ridges.

"You know what, Xiao Fangyuan, it's a small detail that almost no one notices." Liang Tian sighed.

"I don't know, but it sounds like a crucial look." Fang Yuan didn't know what to do.

"That's true, when I went to the scene afterwards, I saw that the edge that was slightly higher than the place where the rocket station was slightly higher was knocked out of a very obvious mark. It is very likely that the rocket did not go outside because of this inadvertent design. ”

Three of the four feet have been displaced, and in the end, if this one is not blocked, it will completely lose its center of gravity, and as soon as the rocket falls, the entire launch site will also be blown up.

"Old man Liang, why do you know so much, could it be that this design is also related to you?"

"I called Dong Ge later, and he said that it was because I, a drag racing enthusiast, pulled him to look at the rear wing of the 90s car all day long, that he had such a ghostly detail when he was designing."

"Where is this devil sending God? This is clearly the difference between the beams and the sky. ”

Dong Ge said that at that time, it was just for beauty, and he didn't think about what it would be of, no matter how to sum up the experience, there was no such plan. Dongge has always said that I am a lucky star, but I think it should have nothing to do with it. ”

"If the successful launch of [Asia-1] is related to you, and the successful suspension of [Ostar B1] is also related to you, then you can indeed be regarded as a lucky star."

"If I were really a lucky star, if I had been staying at the launch center, maybe there would not have been the darkest hour later." Liang Tian was very annoyed.

Fang Yuan is not very good at comforting people, but the blow is a bit accurate: "If you have always been a special truck driver, don't do some Martian immigration, I have a high probability that I will have a good childhood." ”

"History is not to be assumed, just as we cannot foresee the future." Liang Tian came out of his frustration, "What astronauts need is not a lucky star, but accurate quality control." March 22 has therefore become our country's Space Quality Day. ”

After the second successful launch of Austar B1, our country has its own place in international commercial space launches.

Orders are pouring in.

But this process lasts for a short time.

China's aerospace won the bid for the in-orbit delivery of two Australian Stars.

The Ostar B1 is finished, and the Ostar B2 is waiting.

The degree of drama of the launch of the Ostar B2 is no less than that of the Ostar B1.

The launch time of the Ostar B2 was 19:20 on December 21, 1992.

Ji Zhidong carried out a full set of launch orders.

Countdown.

Ignition.

The rocket lifts off.

Reach a predetermined altitude.

Everything was perfect.

According to historical experience, the rocket will definitely enter the predetermined orbit when it is launched into this situation.

Representatives of Hughes, having determined their own surveillance data, concluded that the rocket had been successfully launched.

At 19:50 on December 21, 1992, the confirmation of the successful launch was signed.

By this time, the mission of the launch center will be completed.

Ji Zhidong had no way to start celebrating at this time.

Just 47 seconds after the rocket was launched, he clearly saw that a yellow fireball appeared on the top of the rocket.

This fireball came in a strange way, something that had never happened before.

Four hours and ten minutes passed, and at 0:00 on December 22, 1992, Hughes made an emergency call to the launch center.

They have not been able to get in touch with the Ostar B2 and suspect that the satellite launch failed.

At the same time, Zeyuan Township in Mianning County sent a report that there was an unidentified falling object the size of a car that had been burned out in the territory.

"When Dongge received this news, he was eager to take the Chinese personnel and immediately appear at the scene of the suspected satellite wreckage."

"If you want to go, why do you want to go? This is not like the time of the Austar B1, which was in danger of exploding at any time. ”

"Xiao Fangyuan, you forgot, I said earlier that the second clause in the Ostar contract is not to provide us with any technical materials about the Ostar satellite."

Fang Yuan was puzzled: "This has already been burned, and what about a technical blockade?" ”

"Yes, according to the contract, we do not have the right to unilaterally inspect the suspected satellite wreckage. It was not until the 23rd that the wreckage was examined under the supervision of the technicians they rushed over, and it was confirmed that it was Austar B2. ”

The foreign technician put the key parts into the box and sealed it, and when the box was full, he put some small parts into his jacket to ensure that the satellite technology was not leaked.

"So, although both signed the confirmation of success, the launch of the Austar B2 ultimately failed, right?" Fang Yuan asked Liang Tian.

"Yes." Liang Tian replied.

"Then this is our responsibility and we need to pay compensation, right?"

"No, this responsibility has not been decided until now. We believe that 47 seconds after launch, the fuel tank of the Austar exploded. But we did not have the opportunity to examine the wreckage, and the cause of the incident has become an unsolved mystery in the history of astronautics. ”

"Can you still ...... like this" Fang Yuan didn't know what to say.

"Yes, this time it's different from the B1 one." Liang Tian explained, "If it is determined that it is a satellite explosion, it has nothing to do with us. If it is determined that it is a rocket launch, we will not only have to re-launch, but we must also compensate for the loss of the satellite. ”

"Then since it is an unsolved mystery that cannot determine responsibility, how to deal with it in the end?"