129: Beidou-1, networking successful!

January 11th, afternoon.

Peng Lin returned from the Ministry of National Defense to the Aerospace Missile Manufacturing Branch Factory located in Yanjiao.

After completing the construction plans for the Army and Air Force to enter the 1980s, Peng Lin began to focus his efforts on the Beidou Satellite Navigation System.

Inside the satellite manufacturing workshop of the Aerospace Missile Manufacturing Branch Factory, Peng Lin, dressed in a dark blue uniform, inspected the satellite production line.

In the constant temperature and humidity environment of the workshop, dozens of technicians were busy around a core cabin section of a Beidou navigation satellite that was about to be assembled.

The silver-gray satellite frame gleamed with a cold light under the dust-free lamps, and the honeycomb sandwich structure made of composite materials was as light as a feather yet as strong as a rock.

This was a new lightweight configuration led by Peng Lin, reducing weight by 30% compared to traditional aluminum alloys, while increasing structural strength by 40%.

It also significantly improved the service life of the satellite frame in space.

The construction of the Beidou satellite system is an extremely demanding project that tests national strength, because the service life of general satellites is extremely limited, sometimes only 3-5 years.

This also means that in order to maintain the normal operation of the satellite system, satellites need to be re-launched every few years.

However, Peng Lin successfully extended the service life of the Dragon Country's satellites to 8-10 years through a series of new material developments and unique designs!

This will greatly reduce the continuous financial investment in the Beidou Satellite Navigation System!

After walking through an area in the workshop, Peng Lin stopped in front of the attitude control system assembly station, his finger lightly touching the titanium alloy weld of the gyroscope bracket.

"Thermal deformation controlled to 0.01 millimeter level?"

Peng Lin asked the chief process engineer, and nodded slightly after receiving an affirmative reply.

This momentum wheel assembly, which uses magnetic levitation bearings, still has a vibration amplitude of less than 5 micrometers at a speed of 9000 revolutions per minute, and its accuracy is directly related to the satellite's on-orbit attitude stability.

Engineers at the adjacent workstation were preparing for launch, debugging the on-board atomic clock.

This is the "heart" of the Beidou system, with an accuracy of only 1 second error every three million years, reducing satellite navigation positioning error to meter level.

Walking to the final assembly area, Peng Lin took the laser tracker inspection report.

The data showed that the axial clearance of the satellite deployment mechanism hinge was only 0.002 millimeters, equivalent to one-thirtieth of a human hair.

"The deployment lock must withstand extreme space temperatures of ±150℃."

Peng Lin reminded the team, while also checking the vacuum thermal test data of the memory alloy release device.

This smart material, which can curl at low temperatures and automatically deploy at high temperatures, ensures the reliable deployment of the solar wings in the harsh space environment.

In front of the final electromagnetic compatibility test chamber, Peng Lin gazed at the fluctuating spectral curve on the display screen.

When he saw that the isolation between the L-band transmitter and the S-band receiver at the 1.2 GHz frequency point reached 85dB, his tense lips finally relaxed.

This value meant that the two systems were like wise men having a precise conversation in a noisy market, not interfering with each other yet collaborating seamlessly!

Furthermore, on the Beidou Satellite Navigation System, Peng Lin designed and developed a short message function that is more advanced than Pretty Country's GPS and the Mammoth Bear Empire's GLONASS system!

This function not only possesses powerful anti-interference capabilities, but also automatically carries location information with short messages, achieving integrated "positioning + communication"!

Once Beidou is fully constructed, the single communication capacity of the short message function will be increased to 1000 Chinese characters, and it will support multimedia transmission such as text and voice, meeting tactical-level intelligence transmission needs!

Soldiers can send short messages through Beidou terminals to quickly report enemy situations, request support, or receive tactical instructions!

For example, in mountain combat, squad members can share location information through short messages to achieve precise fire coordination!

Beidou terminals also support hierarchical permission management, ensuring that sensitive instructions are only received by authorized personnel!

For example, missile units, armored vehicles, and other equipment can transmit status data via Beidou short messages, allowing the command center to adjust combat plans in real time!

It is no exaggeration to say that composite forces, with the support of the "Beidou Satellite Navigation System," will enter their strongest combat state, maximizing the advantages of composite operations!

The combat capability of a heavy composite brigade will more than double, truly becoming the number one army!

Throughout the inspection process, Peng Lin stopped the process three times to personally re-check key parameters, and convened core personnel five times on-site to resolve assembly interference issues!

The first batch of satellites to be launched will be fully assembled within three days and airlifted by Z-8 heavy transport helicopters to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center for launch!

...After inspecting the final assembly of the Beidou satellites.

Peng Lin then visited the Yanjing Aircraft Manufacturing Branch Factory, the latest acquisition of Changhe Ordnance Industry General Factory.

Since Peng Lin contacted Factory Director Gu last year, Changhe Ordnance Industry General Factory has carried out several aircraft manufacturing plant acquisition plans nationwide.

The Yanjing Aircraft Manufacturing Branch Factory was one of them.

Here, Peng Lin first launched the research and development work for the WS-10 "Taihang" aero-engine.

The power performance of an aero-engine directly determines the basic capabilities of a fighter jet; it is the "heart" of a fighter jet!

Even from first-generation to second-generation to third-generation fighter jets, the core of each generation's technological progress is the advancement of aero-engine technology.

In his previous life, the WS-10 "Taihang" series aero-engine was the first large-thrust afterburning turbofan engine independently developed by the Dragon Country.

It took more than twenty years and three generations of people to complete its development!

And Peng Lin was the third-generation chief designer of that research and development team!

The WS-10 aero-engine is a well-deserved "Dragon Heart." Different models such as WS-10A, WS-10B, WS-10C, and WS-10D have been applied to all core fighter jets, including the J-10 series, J-11, J-15, J-16, and J-20!

What Peng Lin is currently designing and developing is the WS-10A, which has the lowest technical difficulty among the WS-10 "Taihang" aero-engine series!

Although the thrust and thrust-to-weight ratio of the WS-10A are roughly comparable to the most advanced turbofan aero-engines currently in Pretty Country.

But fortunately, the WS-10 "Taihang" is a series, and when the Dragon Country's aerospace industry foundation matures in the future, the J-10 fighter jet can still be replaced with more advanced WS-10B, or even WS-10C!

In the initial stage of research and development, Peng Lin focused most on the training of research and development engineers.

Since the Dragon Country currently has a blank slate in the field of turbofan aero-engines, Peng Lin took out the textbooks he had compiled in advance to give lectures, selecting young people to cultivate the Dragon Country's future aerospace power experts and engineers!

In the field of aero-engines, Peng Lin is a true technical expert!

Even in later generations, he would be among the top tier of global aerospace power experts!

He knew deeply that in the development of aero-engines, materials are the foundation, design is the soul, and manufacturing is the key!

Therefore, in the initial stage, he proceeded on three fronts simultaneously, cultivating and developing talents in these three aspects together to ensure that the overall research and development progress of the WS-10 would not be held back by any single party!

January 15th.

Peng Lin received a report that all preparations for the Beidou satellite launch mission were complete.

Peng Lin immediately took a military special plane to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

January 16th, early morning.

Two "Long March" launch rockets stood vertically at the launch site.

This time, Peng Lin will adopt "one rocket, two satellites" launch technology, launching four geostationary Earth orbit satellites at once to complete the initial networking of the Beidou-1 system!

These are Beidou-1 Satellite A, Beidou-1 Satellite B, Beidou-1 Satellite C, and Beidou-1 Satellite D!

Peng Lin stood in the main command room, and through the monitoring images, he could see the two Long March rockets standing majestically at the launch site, their silver-white bodies gleaming with cold light in the morning sun.

The launch tower was retracted, fuel was loaded, technicians performed final checks, and the atmosphere on site was tense and solemn, awaiting the ignition command.

At nine o'clock in the morning, the launch tower slowly retracted.

At the same time, the countdown sounded in the ground command center.

As the "ignition" command boomed, the tail of the three-stage rocket suddenly spewed out scorching white flames, and the shockwave stirred up circular smoke and dust, making the earth tremble with a roar.

The enormous Long March rocket lifted off the ground, dragging a kilometer-long tail flame to tear through the clouds, and its trajectory drew a crimson arc across the sky.

Within a few short minutes, the first and second stage rockets separated successively, and the fairing bloomed near the Kármán line, revealing the carried Beidou dual satellites.

At this point, the third stage rocket ignited a second time, precisely adjusting orbital parameters, and the satellite solar panels unfolded like an eagle spreading its wings!

At the moment of satellite-rocket separation, the space thruster emitted a faint blue glow, and the four satellites slid into geostationary orbit with centimeter-level precision, as the atomic clock pulse signal made contact with the ground control center for the first time!

Beidou-1, networking successful!