The launch of the Long March 10 was very successful. It quickly disappeared from everyone's sight and left the atmosphere. We could only rely on the Yanjing Flight Control Center and other ground-based tracking radars to continue monitoring it.

In most cases, if a launch fails, the rocket will disintegrate shortly after takeoff.

This means that Chang Shi has passed the critical period.

The rest of the voyage will be relatively safer.

We will definitely be able to complete the mission, send the lunar lander into near-moon orbit, and then wait for the arrival of the Mengzhou manned spacecraft.

at the same time.

Warm applause also broke out in the command hall of the space launch site.

Celebrate the successful launch of the Long March 10 together.

"The Long March 10 was launched successfully. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief." Zhong Guotao muttered to himself with a smile, and it can be seen that he is in a good mood at the moment.

Academician You Kairong also had the same reaction.

As the chief engineer of the Long March 10, it is absolutely impossible for him to say that he was not worried when the Long March 10 was officially ignited and launched. He even kept his hands clenched for dozens of seconds after the ignition.

He was worried that he had not done something well, which led to an accident during the launch of the Chang'e 10.

Fortunately, his worries were obviously unnecessary.

The performance of the Long March 10 was completely within expectations and it successfully completed the mission of transporting the lunar lander.

"I think I should be able to sleep well tonight."

When several people heard You Kairong's words, smiles appeared on their faces, because there was indeed nothing wrong with it.

The success of this launch has confirmed the excellent performance of the Long March 10.

It can definitely be called the first echelon.

In this case, the probability of problems occurring during subsequent launch missions is very low.

Analyzing from this perspective, You Kairong can indeed have a good night's sleep.

Anyway, as long as we can complete the mission of transporting the lunar lander and the Mengzhou manned spacecraft excellently, that's enough.

However, Chen Jianfang, Xu Yuan and Zhong Guotao still cannot relax at all. In addition to keeping a close eye on the situation of the lunar landing, they will also launch a new Long March 10 in a month.

Transport the Mengzhou manned spacecraft to dock with the Lanyue.

The most crucial point is that the next launch will have astronauts on board.

There cannot be any problem at all.

"Kai Rong can relax, but we can't." Chen Jianfang muttered with a faint smile on his face, then turned to Zhong Guotao and said, "Next month, the vertical lifting work of the Chang'e 10 and Mengzhou manned spacecraft will require you to worry about it and complete it on time."

"Do not worry."

"With the experience of this vertical lifting, the time spent next month will definitely be shorter."

Zhong Guotao's face immediately showed confidence when he heard this, and he patted his chest and gave assurances.

As the saying goes, the first time is a trial, the second time is a practice, and the efficiency of hoisting Chang Shi and Meng Zhou again will definitely be higher and higher.

Xu Yuan was not too worried about this. After listening to the conversation between the few people, he turned around and finally said a simple sentence.

"All we have to do next is wait."

This also made Zhong Guotao and others nod their heads, and the expectations in their hearts became stronger and stronger.

With the successful launch of the first Long March 10, the lunar lander will soon reach the predetermined orbit, just like a lover who arrives at the date venue in advance and waits for his or her partner to arrive.

During this time, they were all essentially waiting.

After all, only when the Mengzhou manned spacecraft and the Lanyue spacecraft successfully dock can astronauts officially go to the moon for exploration.

Just when people at the space launch site were relaxed, major official media outlets released news congratulating the successful launch of the Chang'e 10. Many netizens were also very excited and discussed the matter on social media platforms and in common communication groups.

If it were before today, everyone might still be a little worried.

I don’t know whether the Chang’e 10 can be launched successfully.

But now that we have a long proof, the probability of problems arising later is very small.

It is not an exaggeration to say that at this time everyone has already imagined the scene of astronauts landing on the moon next month.

"Warm congratulations on the successful launch of Chang'e 10 and the lunar probe!"

"That's awesome."

"It was a launch without any suspense. I can only say that it is impossible for any unexpected situation to occur in a project with the participation of Academician Xu."

"Lan Yue is already in place, it will be Meng Zhou's turn soon."

"I heard that the Moon Landing mission is also equipped with a lunar rover. I wonder what it will look like when our astronauts drive it."

“Can you race cars on the moon?”

"I hope next month will come soon. I can't wait to see our country's astronauts landing on the moon. I believe that picture will be very popular by then."

"I wonder how many people will express envy at this time, after all, we are the only ones who have carried out the moon landing mission."

"The pressure is now on SpaceX. Hopefully, the Starship test next month will be more powerful."

……

The Long March 10 is a new generation of carrier rocket. It has now been successfully launched and has played a leading role. Then, the Starship, which is also an advanced rocket, will undoubtedly attract more attention.

What's more, the flight test is scheduled on almost the same day as the launch of the Mengzhou manned spacecraft.

You know, everything is afraid of comparison.

If a new full-system flight test is to be conducted, it would be wise to avoid this period of time.

Then even if an accident occurs during the experiment, I believe not many people will say anything.

I just have to compare it with the Long March 10.

If the flight test of the entire system is successful, that would naturally be a good thing, gaining more reputation and popularity.

But as long as the experiment fails, I believe there will be many voices of doubt.

However, Xu Yuan did not think too much about this matter. He could only think that Musk was confident in his starship, so he deliberately scheduled the flight test for next month.

He needs to focus all his energy in the future on the Mengzhou manned spacecraft and the moon landing.

I really don't have the time to think about other people's affairs.

that's it.

In the next few days, the topic of the successful launch of the Long March 10 was still discussed online.

In particular, we know that the lunar lander has successfully reached near-moon orbit.

With this continued growth in popularity, it is estimated that netizens will not change the existing topic of the moon landing until astronauts successfully land on the moon.

at the same time.

Another Long March 10 split rocket and the Mengzhou manned spacecraft were also transported to the space launch site in special containers and entered the single-story 100-meter assembly and testing plant for vertical lifting.

It turns out that after the last experience, this time we are undoubtedly better in terms of efficiency and experience.

We have even figured out some good methods for lifting heavy rockets like the Chang Zheng 10.

Can save a lot of time.

As time entered September, the Space Office officially announced the four astronauts who would carry out this lunar exploration mission.

They will take the Mengzhou manned spacecraft to meet up with Lanyue.

Three of the astronauts are male and one is female, all of whom were selected through layers of selection.

And has carried out scientific missions on the Tiangong space station.

Extensive experience in outer space.

At this point, everything is basically ready except for the east wind.

Just wait for the scheduled launch time to arrive.

……

……

2023 9 Month 23 Day.

Saturday.

Today is the launch date of the Mengzhou manned spacecraft, the important second step in the manned lunar landing plan. Although the ignition is scheduled for after 2:00 p.m., the live broadcast has already started in the morning.

What’s more worth mentioning is that this live broadcast is different from the last one.

The pace will be maintained 24 hours a day until the astronauts successfully land on the moon and complete the mission.

Naturally, Xu Yuan also arrived at the space launch site early, accompanied by Chen Jianfang and He Luping. As for Guo Dongxiao and You Kairong, they were in charge of the command at the Yanjing Flight Control Center.

Near noon, Xu Yuan came out of the control hall and went straight to the lounge next to the viewing stand.

There is a viewing platform inside the space launch site, where you can experience up close the shock of the rocket ignition and take-off, as well as the visual impact it brings.

I don’t know if my daughter was influenced by him, but she is also very interested in aerospace.

So Xu Yuan simply asked Chen Yuran to bring her daughter along.

Experience the Chang Shi launch scene up close.

Almost as soon as he walked a few steps into the lounge, he heard his daughter calling him.

"Dad, here."

He looked in the direction where the sound came from, and after noticing Chen Yuran and her daughter, he immediately walked towards them.

"It's still early before the rocket launch. You can go eat something first and then come over."

Xu Yuan first spoke to Chen Yuran, then looked at his daughter and asked with a smile: "How do you feel now? In more than two hours you will be able to see our Chang X launch." As he said that, he subconsciously reached out and touched his daughter's head.

Then I heard the other party say very seriously:

"I want to be an astronaut in the future and see what the moon looks like."

Hearing this, Xu Yuan smiled and agreed without saying much, and did not intend to influence his daughter's choice.

His daughter is about ten years old this year. It doesn't matter whether he has the urge to become an astronaut just because he is in this environment today, or whether he really regards becoming an astronaut as his ideal and goal.

But as long as he makes up his mind, he, as a father, will definitely give his full support.

Although the selection of female astronauts is more difficult than that of male astronauts.

Chen Yuran listened to the conversation between the father and daughter without interrupting. She just watched quietly with a smile on her face.

She really likes the warm feeling at this time.

However, she was also more aware of Xu Yuan's responsibilities, so she took the initiative to remind him soon:
"We don't have anything to do here, you should go to work first, today's mission is very important."

"Then I'll come pick you up when I'm done." Xu Yuan nodded.

According to time calculation, the astronauts will soon board the Mengzhou manned spacecraft, and as the project's chief designer, he must be present.

After saying this, he did not waste any more time and returned to the control hall.

……

"Are Yu Ran and Xuan Xuan okay?"

Chen Jianfang naturally knew where Xu Yuan had gone, and when he saw him come back, he couldn't help but ask.

"fine."

"Your granddaughter said she wants to be an astronaut in the future." Xu Yuan replied with a smile. Chen Jianfang smiled: "She has great ambitions."

While the two were chatting, He Luping walked over and said in a pleasantly surprised tone:
"Our astronauts are about to enter the cabin."

Hearing the sound, several people raised their eyes and looked towards the main screen. Four astronauts in space suits were making final preparations for departure to the Mengzhou manned spacecraft.

Among them, astronaut Zhai Zhihang, who served as commander, looked very relaxed.

There was even a hint of expectation.

There was no tension.

In addition to his rich experience, more importantly, it is his absolute trust in aerospace researchers.

We believe that the new generation of spacecraft developed by aerospace researchers will enable them to safely reach the moon, complete their exploration missions, and return safely to the embrace of Mother Earth.

Moreover, the launch of the Long March 10 last month further confirmed this point.

Also.

For astronauts, the most anticipated thing is being selected to carry out a space mission.

This is also the reason why many people choose to become astronauts.

This time, the mission is not simply to stay in the Tiangong space station permanently, but to go to the moon for scientific exploration.

For most astronauts, this is a rare opportunity that they may never have in their lifetime.

As an old astronaut, Zhai Zhihang has extensive experience in space missions, but he had never thought that he would be able to land on the moon one day.

After all, relying on the previous development of domestic aerospace technology, being able to independently complete the construction of the Tiangong space station can already be called a miracle in the aerospace field.

It is almost impossible for other countries to replicate it.

However, the difficulty of achieving manned lunar landing is much higher than that of building a space station.

It is unknown how long it will take just to develop a new generation of space vehicles.

By that time, even if the country has the technology and conditions to land on the moon, he will probably be unable to go into space to carry out missions due to age and physical problems.

They can only be responsible for the training and teaching of new astronauts.

But no one expected that the country's research and development of the new generation of spacecraft would progress so quickly.

Even the manned moon landing was brought forward so much.

It is no exaggeration to say that when he learned that the moon landing mission was about to be carried out and the astronauts were being selected, he could hardly believe it was true for a certain period of time.

After confirming it, he stepped up his physical training to ensure that he could perform this task in the best condition.

At the same time, netizens who were watching the live broadcast were also very excited when they saw the astronauts.

Although I have no way to go to the moon, I still feel very proud to witness the outstanding astronauts of my country landing on the moon.

The rapidly refreshing comments in the live broadcast room were all cheering for the four astronauts.

Send blessings.

"Come on, astronauts. We are all waiting for your safe return."

"Safe and sound."

"come on."

"We will succeed."

"So handsome."

"I don't know if I will have the chance to become an astronaut in the future. But if I can go to the moon and take a look during my limited life, then I will have no regrets in life."

"Who wouldn't want to go to the moon?"

"Remember to check if there is Guanghan Palace on the moon when the time comes. This is very important to me."

"It's too early to say these things now. Judging from the current speed of scientific and technological development, maybe in a few decades, going to the moon will feel similar to taking a high-speed train now."

"Then we can only place our hopes on Academician Xu. I hope Academician Xu can take charge of more related projects."

……

As expected, the second Long March 10 launch went very smoothly.

When the astronauts entered the Mengzhou manned spacecraft and took their positions, as the time came to 2:25 pm, the Long March 10 engine was immediately ignited and started as the commander broadcast the command.

Under the cover of the large amount of water vapor that emerged in an instant, the Long March 10 seemed to be riding on the clouds, gradually increasing its flying speed and rushing into the sky like a straight sword.

It disappeared from sight in a moment.

As for the people sitting in the stands, they were also shocked as they experienced this scene up close.

He sat in the chair in a daze until the rocket could no longer be seen with the naked eye.

"Radar tracking normal."

……

"Booster separation."

……

"The ship and the arrow are separated."

At this moment, the space launch site and the Yanjing Flight Control Center are closely tracking and paying attention to the flight status of the Long March 10.

It was not until more than 500 seconds later that the Mengzhou manned spacecraft successfully separated and the engine ignited successfully.

Warm applause broke out in the control halls of both locations simultaneously.

Celebrate the successful launch of the Mengzhou manned spacecraft.

In the coming period, the Mengzhou manned spacecraft will undergo several orbit changes to reach the near-moon orbit and dock with the lunar lander.

This will take a few days.

Although no one was surprised by the result, they only felt completely relieved after the launch was actually completed.

Even the audience in front of the screen posted comments in a much more relaxed atmosphere.

Shouting that it was time to move the battlefield.

"I know that our Long March rockets are all high-quality and there will definitely be no problems."

"The Demon Capital sent a congratulatory message!"

"There are still about six or seven days until our astronauts officially land on the moon. Is there anyone who wants to watch the entire live broadcast like me? I have already taken a vacation."

"A historic moment like the moon landing requires full attention."

"I have to watch the live broadcast, but now I can pay attention to the starship's flight test."

"If you hadn't told me, I would have almost forgotten that the starship will be launched today."

"Do you think the starship flight test will be successful? If you know the result, please come and tell me when the time comes."

"The technical difficulty of the starship is too high, and they don't have Academician Xu. I think it is unlikely to succeed."

……

Yes.

The first full-system flight test of Starship was scheduled in advance.

The launch also took place today.

The ignition time was only a few hours later than that of the Long March 10.

For the audience, the two biggest events in the aerospace field this year are undoubtedly the launch of the Long March 10 and the test flight of the Starship.

Now that the Long March 10 has been successfully launched, the next step is definitely to look at the Starship.

Not only ordinary people are paying attention to it, but even the Ou Space Bureau and the Neon Space Agency are also closely following the flight test of the starship.

They and NASA are both members of the International Space Station and are at the forefront of the development of the global space field.

But the Chinese side moved very quickly and left them far behind.

Even NASA was powerless to resist.

In this case, they can only hope that Musk's starship test can be successful.

Otherwise, with the popularity brought by the moon landing, the landscape of the aerospace field would really undergo earth-shaking changes.

Perhaps by that time, they will need to beg the Chinese side for cooperation.

-

Boca Chica starship research and development base.

Due to the time difference between the two places, it was currently four or five o'clock in the morning in Boca Chica.

It can be seen that the huge starship with arrow and ship in one has been erected.

Waiting for ignition and launch.

Both Musk and NASA's Bolsons undoubtedly attach great importance to the full-system flight test of Starship.

So I chose to go to the launch base to watch it in person.

"China's Long March 10 and manned spacecraft combination was successfully launched two hours ago. The manned spacecraft is now heading for the near-moon orbit. It seems that they are really going to achieve a manned lunar landing."

Inside the base's information control hall, Bolsons, who had already received the news, spoke to Musk beside him.

My mood is somewhat complicated at this moment.

Although I really don't want to see this situation, there is nothing I can do to change it.

They can only watch the other side achieve the moon landing.

Musk obviously also got the news. After listening to what Bolsons said, he turned his head and said: "Any research on the development of aerospace is great, and their contributions are worthy of respect. I believe that my starship will also be successful and will go to the moon and Mars to perform missions in the future." He was extremely confident when saying this.

After hearing what Musk said, Bolsons was suddenly speechless.

Finally, his lips moved, but he still didn't speak again, and then he focused his eyes back on the main screen in front of him.

After all, the most important thing right now is whether the starship’s first full-system flight test can be successful.

There is no point in saying anything else any earlier.

Soon, as time passed, after the countdown ended, the staff officially gave the ignition command.

In an instant, with huge thrust spurting out from the rocket engine, this behemoth rocket, which was about 120 meters long, successfully left the ground and flew quickly into the air.

At this moment, everyone at the scene, including Musk and Bolsons, became nervous.

His eyes were fixed on the rocket flying image on the screen.

The fact that the rocket was able to ignite and take off successfully does not mean that the test was successful. On the contrary, the truly dangerous phase has just begun.

In this way, when the rocket reaches the corresponding height, the first and second stages are successfully separated.

It seemed to indicate that this flight test would be successful.

Even after hearing the report of the successful separation of the first and second stages, the expression on Bolsons' face seemed much softer, no longer as stern and solemn as before.

However, before they could experience this joy, they discovered that the starship suddenly exploded when the booster separated, causing the rocket and spacecraft to disintegrate into wreckage in the air.

……

(End of this chapter)