The expeditionary force began to dominate Southeast Asia by recruiting defeated soldiers

The third phase, from 54 to 57.

Project code name: Chang'e-1 carrier rocket

Design positioning: Three-stage liquid-fueled launch vehicle

Ultimate goal: To send a 50kg-class artificial satellite into low Earth orbit.

The sound of pages turning was particularly clear in the quiet room.

Zhang Chi's gaze lingered on the timetable for the third phase, his brows furrowing slightly.

He looked up at the three people in charge across the table.

"Do you think this timeline is too aggressive?"

Chen Zhiyuan adjusted his glasses: "The technical hurdle between the second and third stages is too high..."

"The jump from the two-stage 'Sound-2' rocket to a three-stage launch vehicle capable of launching satellites into orbit was missing at least one technology demonstration model."

Schmidt added, "Moreover, satellites themselves are a completely unfamiliar field. We even need to design an artificial satellite from scratch."

Zhang Chi closed the file and leaned back.

“Then let’s go into more detail,” he said. “What specific technical challenges do you think we need to overcome between our current V-2 improved version and the Chang’e-1 lunar probe capable of launching satellites? Let’s go through them one by one.”

Chen Zhiyuan spoke first: "The first hurdle is multi-stage rocket technology. The V-2 we are currently imitating is a single-stage rocket, with a maximum speed of only Mach 4-5, so it can't fly very far."

To put a satellite into orbit, it needs to reach the first cosmic velocity, 7.9 kilometers per second. This cannot be achieved with a single-stage rocket; there isn't enough fuel.

He picked up a pen and drew a simple diagram on the paper: "So we must develop multi-stage rockets. The 'Chang'e-1' project is a three-stage rocket. The first stage is discarded after it finishes working, and the second stage is then ignited, so that it can accelerate step by step."

"What's the difficulty?" Zhang Chi asked.

“Two difficulties.” Chen Zhiyuan held up two fingers.

"First, interstage separation technology."

How can the first and second stages separate safely during high-speed flight? Separation too early results in insufficient speed; separation too late leads to dead weight drag. If the second stage ignites too early, it might burn the first stage debris; if it ignites too late, the rocket might become unstable and crash.

"Second, high-altitude ignition technology."

The third-stage rocket needs to ignite at an altitude of 200 kilometers, near a vacuum. Ground-based engines ignite using atmospheric pressure, but at high altitudes, without an atmosphere, the fuel mixing and ignition methods all need to be redesigned. We had absolutely no experience in this area.

Lu Guofu interjected, "The base has conducted simulated separation tests, using small models in a wind tunnel. The success rate... is less than 30%. Nobody knows what will happen when the real rocket is launched."

Schmidt continued, "The satellite itself is the second major hurdle. Even if the rocket can send a 50-kilogram payload into orbit, that 50-kilogram thing has to work, survive, and be able to transmit data back."

He took out a stack of sketches from his briefcase and spread them on the table: "Our initial idea is that Nanyangxing-1 will be a sphere with a diameter of about 60 centimeters, with an outer shell of aluminum alloy and instruments inside."

“The first problem: temperature control.” Schmidt pointed to the sketch, “The space environment is extreme.”

The temperature on the sunny side can reach over 100 degrees Celsius, while the temperature on the shady side can drop to below -100 degrees Celsius. Electronic instruments will break down within minutes under such temperature differences. A temperature control system must be designed, which could be a coating, louvers, or heat pipes.

We don't even have a vacuum simulator to test this system yet.

"The second problem: power," he continued. "Satellites need electricity. Chemical batteries are too heavy; a 50-kilogram payload can only carry a few kilograms of batteries at most, and they'll run out of power in a few hours. So we're considering... solar cells."

Zhang Chi's eyes lit up: "Solar energy?"

“Yes, silicon solar cells.” Schmidt nodded. “White Eagle Bell Labs just released this technology last year. It’s only 6% efficient, but it’s theoretically usable.”

The problem is that the reliability of these solar cells in the space environment is also unknown. Furthermore, the solar panels need to be deployed, and the deployment mechanism is a complex system in itself.

"The third problem: telemetry," Schmidt concluded. "The satellite is flying in the sky, and we need to know that it's alive."

A small radio transmitter is needed to continuously send back signals. The transmitter must be lightweight, energy-efficient, and radiation-resistant.

Lu Guofu continued, "The third hurdle is ground support. Launching the rocket is just the beginning; we need to know where it's going, what orbit the satellite is in, and when it will pass overhead."

"This requires building a ground-based tracking and control network," he said. "At least three observation stations, distributed at different longitudes, will be used to track rockets and satellites with large antennas and to calculate orbits in real time using computers."

But now... we have high-speed computers, but we lack large parabolic antenna technology and a sufficient number of experts in orbital mechanics calculations.

He paused:

Even if we have all of these, there is still a more fundamental issue: time.

A satellite orbits the Earth once every 90 minutes, and its transit time changes daily. We need precise time synchronization; the clock error at all tracking and control stations cannot exceed one-thousandth of a second.

This requires atomic clock technology, we…”

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear: no.

The meeting room fell silent.

The three looked at Zhang Chi, waiting for his reaction.

Zhang Chi remained silent for a long time.

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the night view outside.

The port in the distance was brightly lit, and cargo ships were busy coming and going.

This country is rapidly industrializing, but space... is indeed a challenge of another dimension.

“Engineer Chen,” he suddenly spoke, without turning around, “what if I told you that I know the general direction for solving these technical problems?”

Chen Zhiyuan was taken aback.

Zhang Chi turned around and glanced at the three of them: "I'm not a scientist, but I've read a lot of materials, including some... cutting-edge research ideas."

“First, multi-stage rocket separation.” Zhang Chi walked back to the table. “The Russians may already be researching explosive bolt separation technology. Using small explosives to sever the interstage connections is simple, brutal, but effective. We can try this direction.”

“Second, high-altitude ignition.” He looked at Chen Zhiyuan. “Have you considered solid rocket engines? The third stage uses solid fuel, which doesn’t require ignition; it ignites when electricity is applied. Although the specific impulse is lower, the reliability is high.”

Chen Zhiyuan's eyes lit up: "Solid engine... Yes, this idea is feasible. We can start accumulating experience from the second stage solid rocket of the Sounding-2!"

"Third, satellite temperature control," Zhang Chi continued. "The simplest solution is satellite spin. Let it spin like a top, with each side taking turns to be exposed to the sun, thus achieving a uniform temperature. Of course, this also needs to be combined with a thermal control coating, with white reflecting sunlight and black radiating heat."

Schmidt quickly jotted down in his notebook: "Spin stabilization...this idea is indeed simple and effective."

"Fourth, solar cells." Zhang Chi paused. "Our transistor manufacturing plant can produce ultra-high purity silicon, but how to manufacture solar cells still needs research and development."

Additionally, transparent epoxy resin can be used for battery encapsulation, and for radiation protection... add a thin layer of quartz glass.

He spoke in such detail that it surprised all three of them.

"Fifth, ground tracking and control," Zhang Chi concluded. "Large parabolic antennas can use a metal mesh structure to reduce weight. Orbit calculations...don't we have the mathematics department at Nanyang University?"

Let them form an orbital mechanics group to derive the formulas from the basic ones. As for atomic clocks—”

He smiled and said, "We can buy them. There are companies in Bern that can make precision clocks, accurate enough for initial use. We can buy a few first and then reverse engineer them."

Another silence fell over the conference room.

This silence has a different meaning.

It's not despair, but a renewed hope.

The group looked at each other, their eyes filled with surprise and delight.

It seems that every time I come to see His Excellency the President, I receive new insights and new ideas...