Chapter 968
Walking on the Right Path
The meeting ended late at night.
In the main conference room of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, none of the more than thirty experts got up to leave.
They gathered around the screen, discussing the architectural diagram that showed the T-shaped base gradually expanding into the prototype of a lunar town.
Some people were arguing about the interface parameters of the helium-3 extraction device, while others were quickly sketching the modification of the biological cycle system on their tablets. Some printed out the irradiation dose table of the material exposure platform and marked the observation nodes that needed to be adjusted with red pens.
Wang Donglai didn't interrupt them. He picked up the cold Longjing tea on the table, drank it all in one gulp, and then got up and left the conference room.
The corridor was dimly lit, with only a few emergency lights still on. The wind from the Gobi Desert seeped in through the loosely sealed window cracks, carrying fine sand and a biting chill.
Yang Anchao followed behind him, and the two walked side by side through the long corridor toward the final assembly and testing hall.
"Engineer Yang, what's the name of the young man under you who discovered the code anomaly regarding the backdoor?" Wang Donglai suddenly asked.
"His surname is Chen, his given name is Chen Mo, he's a young engineer in the power system department, and he's only been with the company for a little over a year."
Yang Anchao paused, then added, "It's that young man you met in the General Armament Hall before, the one who asked you 'How do you know it will definitely work out?'"
Wang Donglai was silent for a moment, recalling the young man standing in the corridor, clutching his notebook, his knuckles white, yet stubbornly waiting for an answer.
"His discovery of this backdoor wasn't by luck. He noticed during a manual spot check that the timing of the code call was incorrect. An attitude control redundancy switching module shouldn't be triggered in a non-switching state. This intuition comes from reading the code line by line. I told him that after this mission, he would be promoted to a core R&D position to directly participate in the parallel control logic design of the next-generation Hercules engine. Galaxy Aerospace's talent pool can't rely solely on us old guys; we need to support every young person who shows promise."
Yang Anchao wrote this down in his notebook. When he looked up, the two of them had already reached the entrance of the final assembly and testing hall.
The blast door slid open slowly, revealing the Pioneer II lying quietly on the massive support frame, its silver-gray body gleaming coldly under the lights.
Eight engines are arranged in a ring at the rear, and the inner wall of the nozzle is coated with a smooth, mirror-like layer of soil.
Several engineers were squatting under the engine nozzle, performing final coating flaw detection. The ultrasonic probe scanned every square centimeter of the inner wall inch by inch, and the feedback signals were all normal.
Yang Anchao led Wang Donglai into the control room on the side of the hall.
It's much quieter here than at the main control console, with only a few monitors silently scrolling through telemetry data.
He took out a document from the drawer, the cover of which read "Galaxy Aerospace Talent Team Building and Incentive Plan (Draft)".
Wang Donglai took the document and flipped through the pages. The core content of the plan was clear: core R&D positions would be subject to a dual incentive of annual salary plus project bonuses, with the bonus ratio increasing progressively based on technical contribution, reaching up to a percentage of the total project bonus; frontline operational positions would have a skill level promotion channel, with each level increasing the base salary by a corresponding percentage, and would also be included in the long-term service bonus pool, with one-time rewards for five, ten, and fifteen years of service.
"The approach is correct, but there are two areas that need adjustment."
Wang Donglai closed the document and placed it on the table, tapping the cover lightly with his finger. He said, “First, the project profit-sharing cycle needs to be shortened. Don’t hold back the bonuses until the end of the year for a lump sum payment; that will diminish the incentive effect. Pay them quarterly, immediately after each quarter’s milestone acceptance. Second, skill level promotions shouldn’t rely solely on exams; practical assessments should be added. Let Lao Zhou personally set the questions to test their speed and accuracy in troubleshooting. True skills aren’t tested on paper; they’re honed on the test bench.”
Yang Anchao wrote these words down in his notebook.
Wang Donglai leaned back in his chair and looked at the silver-gray rocket outside through the glass partition of the control room.
"How's the training base in Tangdu doing now?"
"The first cohort is already full, with 1,200 students, all of whom are students jointly trained with domestic aerospace universities. The curriculum is designed according to the technical outline we provided, covering everything from engine principles to flight control systems to materials science, with our front-line engineers participating in the teaching of each course."
Yang Anchao put down his pen, his tone carrying the unique satisfaction of a veteran aerospace worker, and said, "I gave two lectures there. Once, after class, a student chased after me and asked, 'Professor Yang, after we graduate, will we really be able to participate in the entire rocket landing on the moon?'"
“I told him that it’s not just about participation, but that they will be the main force.”
"Next time I go to class, I'll bring the test data of the Lux engine. I'm not going to show them the curves, but the raw data, from the first failed test to the gradual success, showing them every fault record, improvement plan, and retest result."
Wang Donglai tapped his finger lightly on the table and said, "Let them know that thrust is not something that can be built up by luck, but something that can be achieved step by step and through repeated trials."
Yang Anchao added a line to his notebook: The raw test data will be incorporated into the training materials after being organized.
The two talked about talent cultivation and technology transfer, and then about the scheduling of future mission milestones. Before they knew it, it was already late at night.
Old Zhou pushed open the door and came in carrying two cups of hot tea. Seeing that the two were still talking, he put the teacups on the table and dragged a chair to sit down in the corner.
"Engineer Yang, what do you think of the nitrogen replenishment plan proposed by the expert group today?"
Wang Donglai picked up the teacup but didn't drink from it; he simply held it in his hands, feeling the warmth emanating from the enamel cup.
"The idea is correct, but it's too conservative."
Yang Anchao put down his notebook, leaned forward slightly, and said earnestly, "They suggested that this time we only conduct a test on the activity of nitrogen-fixing bacteria and not connect it to the circulation system. I think we can go a step further and connect the nitrogen-fixing bacteria to the small circulation of the microalgae reactor, running it as a separate independent module. Even if it fails, it won't affect the main circulation system. But if it succeeds, the next mission can directly connect it to the full circulation."
Wang Donglai nodded slightly and turned to Old Zhou, who was dozing in the corner.
Old Zhou suddenly woke up and rubbed his eyes.
After listening to Yang Anchao's retelling of the nitrogen solution, he pondered for a few seconds before speaking: "Technically, it's feasible. However, we need to add an isolation valve so that if the nitrogen-fixing bacteria module malfunctions, it can automatically cut off the connection to the main circulation within seconds. I'll have Xiao Zhao produce a draft of this valve design tomorrow morning. Also, if the activity data of the nitrogen-fixing bacteria under low gravity can be verified, not only nitrogen, but also bioreactors for treating astronauts' metabolic waste in the future can use a similar technical approach." "Have Xiao Zhao submit the draft to you for review tomorrow. After the review, you can directly connect with the expert group; there's no need to go through the usual procedures."
Wang Donglai took a sip of herbal tea, turned to Yang Anchao, and said, "Engineer Yang, after the launch of Pioneer II, take a few days off. You haven't had a full night's sleep since the backdoor incident."
Yang Anchao shook his head and refused.
"We'll talk about it once the plan for Pioneer III is finalized. Pioneer III will have a heavier payload than Pioneer II, and after the modules dock, the base's permanent occupancy will increase to six. At that time, the life support system will be able to operate at full capacity for a longer period of time."
He paused, lowered his voice, and said, "I've calculated the timeline. If the third satellite can be launched on schedule by the middle of next year, the base will be large enough to support a long-term deployment by the year after. But the prerequisite is that none of the key milestones for the third satellite can be delayed."
"Where are the main technical bottlenecks of the No. 3 missile system?"
"It's still about power. The Hercules engine on the second spacecraft has reached its thrust limit. If the third spacecraft is to expand its cabin, increase personnel, and add experimental equipment, its Earth-Moon transfer capacity will need to be increased by at least one more step. The Soil Coating has already helped us bypass the thermal barrier, and there is still room for improvement in combustion chamber pressure and turbopump speed. But going any further, the creep limit of the material itself is an insurmountable physical ceiling. We are working with the materials laboratory to develop a new gradient coating scheme that can increase the temperature resistance limit of the combustion chamber wall by several hundred degrees without increasing weight. If this scheme works, the Earth-Moon transfer capacity of the third spacecraft will be stabilized."
Yang Anchao's eyes remained calm, but the weariness in his voice was like fine sand on the Gobi Desert, impossible to suppress.
How long will this plan take?
"It will take at least six months, and at most a year. The materials lab is already running the first round of simulations, and the preliminary data is quite optimistic, but the actual preparation and thermal cycling tests have not yet started. Lao Zhou plans to set up a dedicated test stand in Jiuquan after the spring to specifically run the extreme condition tests of the No. 3 engine."
“Give him special funds, without diverting them from existing projects. Shorten the construction period of the test stand as much as possible, and carry out civil engineering, equipment installation, and commissioning in parallel. In addition, if there are domestic material suppliers that can keep up with the research and development progress, give priority to using domestic ones. Our own rockets must be rooted in our own soil.”
After approving the budget application, Wang Donglai put down his pen and leaned back in his chair.
The control room was quiet for a moment, with only the telemetry data scrolling silently on the monitor and the occasional rustling of Old Zhou turning pages in the corner.
Wang Donglai picked up the cup of tea, which had gone cold, and took a sip. Suddenly, he changed to a more relaxed tone: "Engineer Yang, have you heard about Chrysanthemum's plan to jointly manufacture cars?"
Yang Anchao was slightly taken aback.
Since the backdoor incident, he has practically locked himself in the launch center, only reading mission briefings and weather forecasts, and paying no attention to what's happening outside.
"Never heard of it. Hasn't Chrysanthemum been making communications equipment all along? Why are they suddenly getting into cars?"
"It's not about manufacturing it ourselves, but about partnering with domestic automakers for deep technology licensing. Huawei provides a full-stack solution, from intelligent driving chips to HarmonyOS vehicle system to electric drive system to cloud computing. Automakers then take it and put their own labels on it. Yu Dazui has already held several rounds of talks with several automakers. The condition is that Huawei takes the lion's share of the overall vehicle profit, and the technical service fee per vehicle starts at tens of thousands, depending on the model and configuration."
Wang Donglai placed the teacup on the table and gently circled his finger around the rim: "This approach is exactly the same as their previous approach in the communications field. They don't touch the manufacturing end themselves, but control the thickest part of the value chain through technology licensing."
Yang Anchao took off his reading glasses, rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, pondered for a moment, and asked with some curiosity, "Can car companies accept this? The profit per vehicle is already low. If the company takes away tens of thousands of yuan in technical service fees, and the rest has to cover manufacturing costs, channel costs, and after-sales costs, how much will the car company have left?"
"So the talks were very difficult."
Wang Donglai leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling on the silver-gray rocket through the glass partition of the control room.
"Several leading automakers are reluctant to accept this proposal. It's not that they don't recognize the technology of the company, but they don't want to hand over their lifeline to others. They own the logo, the production line, and the distribution channels, but the control of the core technology is in the hands of others. After calculating this, most automakers have chosen to wait and see. Only a few brands that have had in-depth cooperation with the company before are willing to talk, but they are also stuck on the profit sharing ratio, and no one is willing to give in."
Old Zhou, who had been silent in the corner, suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse but his thoughts extremely clear.
"Chrysanthemum's situation is somewhat similar to ours. They have strong core technologies, but their partners don't want to become contract manufacturers. When we supplied Xuanwu batteries to Tesla and Mercedes-Benz, we also encountered similar bargaining. They wanted the batteries, but they didn't want to be tied to our supply terms."
He placed the enamel mug on his lap and said, "The reason they accepted it later was because we proved that the technological gap in the Xuanwu battery was large enough that if they didn't use it, they would be left behind by their competitors. What Chrysanthemum is lacking now is probably this kind of proof."
Wang Donglai nodded slightly.
"Yu Dazui is a smart man. He knows better than anyone that the competitiveness of Chrysanthemum's solution is not in the PPT, but in the mass production of cars. So he has been urging the R&D progress recently, demanding that the first batch of prototypes equipped with Chrysanthemum's full-stack solution be made by the end of the year, and road testing begin next spring. As long as enough convincing data can be generated on range, intelligent driving, and cabin experience, the attitude of car companies will change. At that time, it will not be Chrysanthemum begging car companies to cooperate, but car companies lining up to ask Chrysanthemum for technology licenses."
"What about Lei Jun's side?"
Yang Anchao suddenly asked, "Isn't he also building cars?"
"Lei Jun's approach is different from that of Chrysanthemum."
Wang Donglai tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "He manufactures the entire vehicle himself, handling everything from the factory to the brand to the distribution channels. Xmi Auto's first model, the SU7, has been designed and will begin road testing next month. He has the exclusive supply rights for the flagship Xuanwu battery, which gives him a cost several percentage points lower than his competitors. His logic is very clear: Xmi Auto is his last entrepreneurial venture. He's betting everything he has, not just to do OEM manufacturing, but to create a brand that truly belongs to him."
Yang Anchao nodded thoughtfully.
He seemed to remember something, and suddenly smiled, the wrinkles around his eyes crinkling together.
“Those of us in the aerospace industry always think of ourselves as the most anxious people, but looking at these car manufacturers, we realize they have it tough too. Criticism was rejected, Lei Jun risked his entire fortune, and car companies are caught in the middle, facing a difficult situation on every path.”
"Therefore, spaceflight is actually pure."
Wang Donglai raised his teacup and gestured respectfully towards the rocket on the screen: "Our opponent isn't next door, but on the moon, hundreds of thousands of kilometers away." (End of Chapter)