373: Chapter 373 Mars Mars Mission 1 Launch

In Hainan during July, the scorching sun felt like fire.

The Command Center Space Launch Site is located in Longlou Town at the northeast corner of Hainan Island, bordering the South China Sea to the east and leaning against Tonggu Ridge to the west. At six in the morning, the sun had just risen above the sea level, casting golden sunlight onto the steel structures of the launch site, reflecting a dazzling brilliance. The sea breeze blew through with a salty, damp scent, the coconut groves swayed, and the distant sea surface shimmered with light.

At Launch Pad No. 3, the tianlong-heavy rocket stood majestically.

This was a behemoth rarely seen in the history of human spaceflight. The rocket stood one hundred and twenty meters tall, equivalent to forty stories, with a core diameter of ten meters. Four boosters surrounded the core stage like loyal guards. On the fairing, the four bright red Chinese characters for 'yinghuo-1' were exceptionally eye-catching, and next to them was the logo of Xingchen Aerospace—a silver star orbiting Mars.

The swing arms of the launch tower had all been opened, leaving the rocket completely exposed to the sunlight. The liquid oxygen and kerosene filling ports were still emitting white mist, which was the condensation cloud formed by the evaporation of cryogenic fuel. The lightning rods surrounding the rocket towered high, like four silent giants.

The viewing platform was set on a platform three kilometers away from the launch pad, and it was already filled with more than three thousand guests. In the front row were scientists from the China National Space Administration; the white-haired old Academicians were dressed in white shirts with national flag badges pinned to their chests. Behind them were representatives from space agencies around the world—NASA officials in deep blue suits with complex expressions; ESA representatives whispering to each other, occasionally glancing at the distant rocket; and experts from Russian Space Agency with serious faces, nodding from time to time.

Further away, on the beaches of Longlou Town, tens of thousands of tourists had been waiting for an entire night. They held up phones and cameras, and some had even brought astronomical telescopes. Children sat on their fathers' shoulders, excitedly pointing at the rocket in the distance. Vendors wove through the crowd, selling chilled coconuts and national flag stickers. The air was thick with the scent of coconut, sweat, and anticipation.

The countdown began from thirty minutes.

"All systems are in normal status."

"Meteorological conditions meet launch requirements."

"Ground power supply is normal."

The voice from the command center spread throughout the launch site via broadcast.

On the viewing platform, people held their breath.

On the beach, tens of thousands of people fell silent.

Three minutes.

Two minutes.

One minute.

Thirty seconds.

Ten seconds.

Nine.

Eight.

Seven.

Six.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

"Ignition!"

In an instant, orange-red flames erupted from the bottom of the rocket. As the fire met the seawater, the water vaporized instantly, and white steam rose up like a mushroom cloud. The flames continued to gush, and the steam grew thicker, gradually swallowing the entire launch tower.

The rocket moved.

At first, it was slow, like a waking beast slowly lifting its body. Then it grew faster and faster, trailing a long plume of flame as it pierced the sky.

Ten seconds later, it passed through the low-altitude clouds, leaving a massive hole in the sea of clouds.

Thirty seconds later, it turned into a star in the sky, its tail flame gradually blurring.

Sixty seconds later, it disappeared at the limit of visual range, leaving only a determinedly advancing point of light on the radar screen.

On the viewing platform, applause erupted like thunder.

Some stood up to clap, some hugged each other, and some took off their glasses to wipe their eyes. The old Academicians stood up, clapping with trembling hands, tears glistening in their clouded eyes.

On the beach, tens of thousands of people cheered and jumped for joy. Fireworks rose from the crowd, blooming in the sky where the rocket had disappeared. Children waved national flags, and adults embraced. A young man shouted at the sky: "Mars, here we come!"

At that moment, the flames of Hainan ignited humanity's dream of Mars.

Half an hour before launch, Command Center Command Center.

This was a massive circular building with a full glass curtain wall on the front, directly facing Launch Pad No. 3. Inside, hundreds of workstations were arranged in a fan shape, with technicians sitting before computers, their eyes fixed on the jumping data on the screens. On the front wall, a giant LED screen displayed the rocket's status parameters in real-time.

Chu Tianming stood before the large screen; at fifty years old, he already had white hair at his temples, but his posture was as upright as a pine tree. He wore a deep blue Xingchen Aerospace work uniform with the logo embroidered on the chest. Beside him was the Chief Scientist of Xingchen Aerospace, Liu Peiqiang, sixty years old, with a full head of silver hair, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and possessing an elegant temperament.

On the screen, dense rows of data flickered constantly.

"First-stage oxygen tank pressure is normal."

"Second-stage helium bottle temperature is normal."

"Third-stage engine pre-cooling complete."

"All self-checks passed."

Liu Peiqiang pointed to a corner of the screen: "Mr. Chu, all five payloads of 'yinghuo-1' are normal. Final self-check: zero faults."

Chu Tianming nodded, his gaze lingering on the parameters of those five payloads.

On the right side of the large screen, a specific area was set aside to display the core configuration of yinghuo-1:

yinghuo-1 Mars Probe

Launch Mass: 5.2 tons

Design Life: 30 years

Flight Speed: 50% faster than similar American probes

Core Payloads

High-Resolution Camera: 0.5-meter resolution, capable of identifying cars on the Martian surface

Mars Subsurface Exploration Radar: 1-kilometer detection depth, mapping Martian underground structures

Lander + Rover: Mars rover weighs 240 kg, design life of 5 years

Small Drone: First extra-terrestrial aircraft, 10 km range

Sample Collection System: 2-meter drilling depth, preparing for sample return

Looking at the '30 years' figure, Chu Tianming murmured, "Thirty years. Our generation might not see it retire."

Liu Peiqiang smiled, his laughter carrying a scientist's open-mindedness: "But our grandchildren will. It will be on Mars, watching for us for thirty years. In thirty years, we might already be drinking coffee on Mars."

Chu Tianming turned to look at him, his gaze somewhat sentimental: "Old Liu, when you were lecturing on spacecraft design at Tsinghua twenty years ago, did you ever think you'd one day send a probe to Mars?"

Liu Peiqiang shook his head, his gaze turning toward the majestic rocket outside the glass curtain wall: "Twenty years ago, we had just started with manned spaceflight. Who could have imagined? But these young people at Xingchen dare to dream, Su Chen dares to invest, and so we dare to do it."

Outside the window, the rocket's filling port was still emitting white mist. The sunlight shone on the rocket body, making those few bright red characters exceptionally striking.

8:30 AM, one hour after launch, news conference.

The press conference was held in the Hilton Hotel ballroom near the Command Center Launch Center. The hall was packed with more than three hundred journalists from over fifty countries and regions. Cameras were densely packed together, and flashbulbs flashed incessantly. On the large screen on the wall, footage of the rocket launch was playing on a loop.

Chu Tianming stood on the podium, with the Xingchen Aerospace backdrop behind him. He had a faint smile on his face, but his eyes showed fatigue—from last night until now, he had only slept for two hours.

A reporter from The New York Times was the first to raise a hand: "Mr. Chu, for Xingchen's first deep-space exploration, why choose Mars?"

Chu Tianming nodded slightly: "Because Mars is humanity's second home. We are going to see if it's habitable. Earth is great, but we can't always have only one option."

A reporter from The Wall Street Journal stood up: "Compared to American probes, what is the advantage of yinghuo-1?"

Chu Tianming smiled, a smile containing the humility and confidence unique to Chinese scientists: "We started late, so we must run fast. yinghuo-1 is fifty percent faster than similar American probes, and its design life is three times longer. This isn't because we are smarter than them; it's because we are standing on their shoulders, but we haven't let them trip us up."

Some people in the audience laughed. The NASA representatives sat in the corner, expressionless.

A French reporter raised a hand: "Mr. Chu, the drone on yinghuo-1 is humanity's first extra-terrestrial aircraft. What is its mission?"

Chu Tianming: "To fly in the Martian atmosphere, explore terrain, and pave the way for future manned missions. Mars' gravity is one-third of Earth's, and its atmospheric density is only one percent. Flying there is much harder than on Earth. If we can fly there, then humans can fly there in the future."

Another reporter raised a hand: "Mr. Chu, will the data be shared?"

Chu Tianming's gaze swept across the room, his voice steady: "Xingchen's principle is that data is open and shared. Mars does not belong to any one country; it belongs to all of humanity. We welcome scientists worldwide to apply to use our data."

Applause rang out from the audience.

In the corner, the NASA representative's lips moved slightly, but they didn't speak.

10:00 AM, Twitter Trending Topics.

#yinghuo-1 reached the number one global trend, followed by a flame icon.

#Mars, #ChinaSpace, and #Xingchen Aerospace ranked second, third, and fourth respectively.

The official NASA Twitter account posted a tweet right on time:

NASA @NASA

Congratulations to @Xingchen Aerospace on the successful launch of yinghuo-1! We look forward to sharing scientific data to jointly advance human knowledge of Mars. Mars exploration requires the collective effort of all humanity.

The attached image was a rendering of yinghuo-1 and a NASA Mars probe together—a picture with obvious signs of Photoshop.

Three minutes later, the comment section exploded.

The first top comment came from an account named @SpaceGeek, with likes surpassing ten thousand in an instant:

"Back then, you passed the wolf amendment to ban NASA from cooperating with China. Now you talk about sharing? Abolish that trash law first before you speak."

The reply section was boiling over:

"The wolf amendment was passed in 2011, banning NASA from official space cooperation with China. Now that a private company has succeeded, you're coming around asking for data. Where is your shame?"

"NASA: We can share yours, but you can't share ours. You call that sharing?"

The second top comment quickly surpassed one hundred thousand likes:

@HistoryBuff: In 2011, China's application to join the International Space Station was rejected by the US Congress. In 2020, NASA is begging a Chinese company to share data. Karma is a cycle; no one is spared by the heavens.

The attached image was a screenshot of a news headline from 2011: 'US Congress Bans China from Participating in International Space Station.'

Comment section:

"This image is worth framing and hanging on a wall."

"The boomerang of history has hit them right in the face."

"I wonder how the NASA Administrator is feeling right now?"

The third top comment came from an account verified as a 'Former NASA Engineer':

@MarsRoverMike: I worked at NASA for twenty years and participated in the Spirit and Opportunity missions. Looking at the comment section now, my heart feels heavy. Science should have no borders, but politics does. I hope one day we can truly cooperate.

Reply section:

"Brother, it's not that we won't cooperate, it's that your side won't let us."

"Scientists are innocent; politicians are jerks."

"Hope you can successfully apply for the data."

At 11:00 AM, the official account of the China National Space Administration posted a tweet with a stunning image of yinghuo-1 ascending:

China National Space Administration @CNSA

Welcome to explore Mars together. The data from @Xingchen Aerospace will be open and shared with scientists worldwide. Exploration has no borders; science is for humanity.

The direction of the comment section completely changed:

"Magnanimous! This is the style of a great power!"

"CNSA has opened up its perspective; NASA should learn from them."

"LOL, NASA tweets asking for data, and CNSA says feel free to use it. The contrast is too brutal."

2:00 PM, Washington.

The NASA headquarters building is located in the Southwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., a modern-style glass curtain wall building. The Administrator's office is on the ninth floor, where the floor-to-ceiling windows offer a view of the tip of the Washington Monument.

Jim Bridenstine sat behind his desk, staring at the computer screen. At sixty years old, his hair was gray and his face was square, his brow currently furrowed deeply. On the screen was the comment section under that NASA tweet.

There was a knock on the door, and an assistant poked his head in: "Administrator, should we delete the tweet? The comment section is too ugly."

Bridenstine gave a wry smile, one filled with an indescribable bitterness: "Deleting it would be even uglier. For every one you delete, someone will have ten screenshots."

The assistant hesitated: "Then what do we do?"

Bridenstine was silent for a moment, then said: "Contact Xingchen and ask if we can get first-hand data."

The assistant froze, his mouth hanging open: "Administrator, the wolf amendment..."

Bridenstine interrupted him, his voice weary: "The wolf amendment bans inter-governmental cooperation, it doesn't ban individual exchanges between scientists. Find a few scientists to apply in their personal names. Don't use official NASA channels; don't let those people in Congress catch any leverage."

The assistant nodded and stepped out.

Bridenstine turned his head and looked out the window. The Washington Monument gleamed with the luster of white marble in the sunlight. He remembered ten years ago, when he was still a member of the House Science Committee and had voted in favor of the wolf amendment. Back then, he thought that by blockading China, they could blockade their space dreams.

Now, a Chinese rocket had just sent a five-ton probe to Mars. Meanwhile, NASA's probe was still on the drawing board.

He murmured to himself: "Times have changed."

Outside the window, a cloud blocked the sun, and the shadow of the Washington Monument dimmed for a moment.

Xingchen Technology headquarters, 38th floor. Su Chen sat in his office, looking at Twitter screenshots on his phone. NASA's congratulations, the backfiring comment section, and the response from the China National Space Administration—line after line scrolled across the screen.

Lin Wan stood to the side and couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Su, are we going to give them the data?"

Su Chen looked up, the corners of his mouth curling slightly: "Give it. Why wouldn't we?"

Lin Wan was a bit puzzled: "They didn't give us any back then. They wouldn't let us into the International Space Station, blocked all cooperative projects, and even attending academic conferences required approval."

Su Chen shook his head, his gaze distant: "That's their business. We do our business. Data sharing is a principle of Xingchen. Since we said it's open, then it really is open."

He paused and looked out the window: "Besides, three billion people are watching. We are being magnanimous, while they are embarrassed. Guess whose data scientists will apply for in the future?"

Lin Wan was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "I understand."

Su Chen stood up and walked to the window. The night over Shenzhen Bay was deep, with lights dotting the sea surface. The distant Hong Kong skyline shimmered in the darkness. A cargo ship sailed slowly past, the sound of its whistle faintly drifting over.

He said softly: "Mars is just the beginning. The next stop is the Moon, then asteroids, then Jupiter, and every corner of the solar system."

Lin Wan stood behind him, looking at his back, and didn't speak.

Outside the window, the starry sky was brilliant. That probe called yinghuo-1 was currently flying toward that red planet at a speed of thirty-two kilometers per second.

In thirty years, it will still be there.

Watching Mars on behalf of humanity.