376: Chapter 376 Deep Space Network Upgrade

In September, the heat in Hainan had yet to subside.

The Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site is located in Longlou Town at the eastern end of Hainan Island. The sea breeze blew in from the South China Sea, carrying a salty, humid tropical scent as it swept past the coconut groves and launch towers. The early morning sunlight filtered through the mist onto Launch Pad No. 2, where the Tianlong Medium rocket stood quietly. The dew condensed on the rocket's body shimmered in the sunlight, looking like it was draped in a silver coat.

Compared to the heavy-lift rocket that launched yinghuo-1 a month ago, today's rocket was much slimmer—sixty-five meters long and four meters in diameter, pointing toward the sky like a slender silver needle. However, the pattern on the fairing made everyone's heart race: three golden satellites arranged along an arc, connected by blue bands of light, with a line of vigorous Chinese characters below: "Xingchen Deep Space Communication Network."

On the viewing platform, Chu Tianming stood at the very front, with the core team of Xingchen Aerospace behind him. Today, he wore a white short-sleeved shirt with the Xingchen Aerospace logo embroidered on the chest, forming a sharp contrast with the guests around him in suits and ties. At fifty-two years old, his temples were already graying, but his eyes were brighter than ever.

"Today," he began, his voice spreading across the launch site through the loudspeakers, "we are launching three relay satellites. They will form a web in space—a communication network covering the distance from Earth to Mars."

The large screen behind him lit up, and on a deep blue background, the orbital diagrams of the three satellites slowly unfolded:

Xingchen Deep Space Communication Network

Number of Satellites: Initial batch of 3 (expandable to 9)

Orbital Positions: Earth-Sun Lagrange point L1, Earth-Sun Lagrange point L2, Mars Polar Orbit

Coverage Distance: Up to 400 million kilometers (maximum distance between Earth and Mars)

Transmission Rate: 100 Mbps (NASA Deep Space Network is approximately 10 Mbps)

Latency: 3-20 minutes (depending on distance)

Design Life: 15 years

The reporters below were recording frantically, the sound of shutters as dense as a rainstorm. A reporter from Science magazine raised a hand: "President Chu, what does 100 Mbps mean?"

Chu Tianming smiled, a smile carrying the unique pride of a scientist: "It means we can transmit 4K video back from Mars instead of blurry black-and-white photos. It means that future astronauts landing on Mars can make video calls to their families on Earth. It means Mars is no longer a distant red dot, but a world that can be seen in real-time."

He paused again, his tone becoming more resolute: "This is the first step of the interplanetary internet."

At 9:30 AM, the countdown began.

Over the launch site's loudspeakers, the commander's voice was clear and steady: "All systems normal. Weather conditions meet launch requirements. Ground power supply normal. Telemetry signals normal."

On the viewing platform, more than three thousand people held their breath.

On the beach, tens of thousands of tourists held up their phones, aiming them at the distant rocket.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one—"

"Ignition!"

Flames erupted from the bottom of the rocket, orange fire intertwining with the white steam from the seawater to create a breathtaking scene. The Tianlong Medium rocket slowly left the launch pad, accelerating, then accelerating further, piercing the sky with a long trail of flame.

Thirty seconds later, it passed through the clouds.

Sixty seconds later, it became a point of light in the sky.

Three minutes later, it disappeared beyond the limit of visibility.

On the viewing platform, the applause was like thunder.

At 10:00 AM sharp, news came from the command center: "Satellite-rocket separation successful. All three satellites have entered their intended orbits."

On the large screen, the icons of the three satellites lit up one by one, each beginning its flight along its intended trajectory. One would head to Earth-Sun Lagrange point L1—the equilibrium point between Earth and Sun gravity, about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, where it could always face both Earth and Mars, becoming the ideal relay station. One would head to Earth-Sun Lagrange point L2 as a backup. The last one would head straight for Martian orbit to provide direct communication support for yinghuo-1, which was currently en route to Mars.

Chu Tianming looked at the trajectory map on the large screen and murmured, "In three months, Mars will have internet."

Liu Peiqiang stood beside him. The gray-haired old scientist adjusted his glasses, his voice trembling slightly: "Chu Tianming, twenty years ago when I was teaching deep space communication at Tsinghua University, the textbooks said the communication rate between Mars and Earth was only a few thousand bits per second, and sending a photo took hours. Now, it's one hundred megabits per second. How can an old man like me not be excited?"

Chu Tianming took his hand: "Professor Liu, this isn't my credit alone. It's the students you taught who have made this happen, step by step."

Liu Peiqiang shook his head, his eyes reddening: "It's not me. It's this era. Our generation has waited too long, and finally, it's here."

2:00 PM, Command Center Command Center.

Chu Tianming was being interviewed by a group of reporters, answering various technical questions about the deep space network. Suddenly, an assistant walked over quickly and whispered a few words in his ear. Chu Tianming's brow twitched slightly, then he said to the reporters, "Sorry, there's an urgent call. I need to step away for a moment."

He followed the assistant into a small meeting room next to the command center. Inside, the red indicator light of an encrypted phone was flashing. He picked up the receiver, pressed the speakerphone button, and the large screen on the wall lit up.

A white-haired old man appeared on the screen.

He wore a deep blue NASA polo shirt with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory logo embroidered on the chest. His face was aged, with wrinkles as deep as knife cuts, but his eyes held the sharp gaze unique to scientists. He was Charles Edwards, sixty-five years old, the head of NASA's Deep Space Network, who had worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for forty years.

"Mr. Chu, congratulations on the successful launch." Edwards's voice was somewhat raspy, carrying a weary politeness.

Chu Tianming nodded. "Dr. Edwards, what is it?"

Edwards hesitated, his lips moving as if organizing his words. Then he said, "NASA wishes to access the Xingchen Deep Space Network."

The meeting room was silent for three seconds.

Chu Tianming looked at the old man on the screen and spoke slowly: "Dr. Edwards, what about the wolf amendment?"

Edwards's expression instantly stiffened.

The wolf amendment—a law pushed through in 2011 by U.S. Congressman Frank Wolf, prohibiting NASA from any form of technical cooperation with the Chinese government and Chinese enterprises. This law was like a wall, isolating China from the doors of international aerospace cooperation. Because of it, China was excluded from the International Space Station, Chinese scientists were banned from attending NASA academic conferences, and China's space program was forced onto a path of complete self-reliance.

And now, this wall was turning around to trap the Americans.

Chu Tianming continued, his tone as calm as if stating a fact: "According to U.S. law, NASA cannot cooperate with Chinese enterprises. How can I give you access? If Congress finds out, your budget will be cut, your projects terminated, and your career—forty years of hard work—will be destroyed in a single day."

Edwards fell silent.

The old man on the screen, his lips trembling slightly. He looked at Chu Tianming with a complex emotion in his eyes—helplessness, bitterness, and a deep exhaustion.

After a long time, he spoke, his voice as low as if talking to himself: "We can do it in a personal capacity. NASA scientists can register with private emails and apply for use in their private capacity. This wouldn't count as institutional cooperation, just the personal actions of scientists."

Chu Tianming was silent for three seconds.

He looked at the old man on the screen and suddenly felt a sense of poignancy: "Doctor, how many years have you been at NASA?"

Edwards: "Forty years. Since 1979, I've been involved with Cassini, Voyager, and New Horizons. I've spent my whole life working tirelessly for NASA's Deep Space Network."

Chu Tianming: "Forty years ago, when Voyager was launched, you opened the data to the whole world. Scientists worldwide could use NASA's Deep Space Network. Back then, you were the pride of humanity."

Edwards smiled bitterly: "Now, we have to use private identities just to access China's deep space network."

Chu Tianming: "Doctor, have you thought about how all this happened?"

Edwards fell silent.

Chu Tianming didn't wait for his answer and continued: "It's not because Chinese people are smarter, nor because Xingchen has more money. It's because you closed the door yourselves. In 2011, when the wolf amendment passed, you thought the Chinese space program would die. But it didn't die; it was simply forced to forge its own path. Ten years later, that path has led to Mars."

Edwards closed his eyes as if enduring some pain. Then he opened them, his voice raspy: "Mr. Chu, I don't want to talk about politics. I'm just a scientist; I want to continue exploring. We want to see the data from yinghuo-1. Mars's underground structure, atmospheric composition, geological evolution—these are the wealth of all humanity. Don't let politics block science."

Chu Tianming was silent for three seconds.

Then he said, "It's possible. The Xingchen Deep Space Network is open to scientists worldwide. Individual applications, free of charge."

Edwards let out a long breath, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. "Thank you."

Chu Tianming: "Doctor, there is no need to thank me. Science has no borders. This is what my teacher taught me."

Edwards forced a smile. "Mr. Chu, who is your teacher?"

Chu Tianming: "Liu Peiqiang. Professor Liu Peiqiang of Tsinghua University. Forty years ago, he read your papers and learned your technology. Now, the student he taught has built a deep space network better than yours."

Edwards was silent for a long time, then said, "Liu Peiqiang. I seem to have heard that name. Did he publish a paper on Martian atmospheric models in *Icarus*?"

Chu Tianming nodded. "Yes."

Edwards: "I've read that paper. It was very well written."

The two looked at each other across the screen, one in Hainan and the other in California, twelve thousand kilometers apart. But at that moment, they were not Chinese or Americans, not rivals, but simply two scientists.

Edwards said, "Mr. Chu, thank you. I will have my team register."

The screen went dark.

Chu Tianming stood in the conference room and remained silent for a long time.

An assistant walked in. "President Chu, the reporters are still waiting."

Chu Tianming nodded, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open to walk out.

4:00 PM, Twitter Trending Topics.

#XingchenDeepSpaceNetwork surged to the number one global trend at an astonishing speed, followed by a viral rocket icon. Retweets broke 500,000 within half an hour, and likes exceeded 1.2 million.

Xingchen's official Twitter account posted a tweet with a rendering of three satellites flying in space, connected by blue light bands into a network, with the red sphere of Mars in the background:

Xingchen Aerospace @XinghuoSpace

The Xingchen Deep Space Communication Network is officially operational. Covering Earth to Mars, with a transmission rate of 100 Mbps. Free access for scientists worldwide. Exploration has no borders.

The comment section exploded instantly.

@SpaceGeek: 100 Mbps! That's faster than my home broadband! You can even watch 4K videos on Mars now!

@AstroPhysicsFan: Free access! All scientists worldwide can use it! What kind of divine move is this?

@HistoryBuff: Remember 2011? The US passed the wolf amendment, banning NASA from cooperating with China. Now, a Chinese company says: Free access for scientists worldwide. Talk about vision.

5:00 PM, European Space Agency headquarters, Paris.

ESA's official Twitter account posted a tweet with a picture of the European Space Agency's control center, the screen showing the access page for the Xingchen Deep Space Network:

ESA @ESA

ESA has applied for access to the Xingchen Deep Space Network immediately. Looking forward to exploring Mars together with Xingchen and deepening deep space cooperation. Science has no borders.

7:00 PM, California, USA, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

This complex located in the suburbs of Los Angeles is the heart of NASA's deep space exploration. The building was brightly lit, and dozens of scientists sat at their workstations, their computer screens all displaying the same webpage—the registration page for the Xingchen Deep Space Network.

"Okay, I've registered," a young scientist whispered, his fingers tapping on the keyboard. "Used my Gmail."

A middle-aged female scientist next to him leaned over. "Will they find out?"

The young scientist shrugged. "So what if they do? I'm not representing NASA. I'm just a scientist who wants to see the data from Mars."

The female scientist smiled. "Makes sense. I'll register too."

"Which email are you using?"

"Hotmail."

"Haha, you're a dinosaur."

In the corner, a gray-haired senior scientist was also registering. He used his personal email, a Yahoo account that hadn't been used for over a decade. After completing the registration, he stared at the "Welcome to the Xingchen Deep Space Network" prompt on the screen and remained silent for a long time.

The person next to him asked, "Tom, what's wrong?"

He shook his head, his voice a bit choked. "Nothing. I just thought of Voyager. In 1979, when I first came to JPL, Voyager flew past Jupiter. The photos it sent back were black and white, blurry, and a single photo took over ten hours to transmit. Now, probes on Mars can transmit 4K video."

He paused and gave a bitter smile. "I just didn't expect that the one providing this service wouldn't be NASA."

The office went silent for a few seconds.

Then someone said, "Who cares. Science is science. It doesn't matter who provides the service; what matters is that we can continue exploring."

"Right. Register!"

The sound of keyboards from dozens of computers rose and fell like a silent march.

8:00 PM, top comments on Twitter.

The top comment, from an account verified as an "MIT Professor of Astrophysics," had 300,000 likes:

@MIT_Astro: NASA: We cannot cooperate with China. NASA scientists: Okay, I'll cooperate privately.

The second top comment, from an ordinary netizen, had 250,000 likes:

@RandomUser: wolf amendment: Banning NASA from cooperating with China. Xingchen: Then let the NASA scientists come on their own.

The third top comment, from a history enthusiast, had 200,000 likes:

@HistoryBuff: In 2011, the US refused to let China join the International Space Station. In 2020, NASA scientists are using personal emails to register for China's deep space network. What goes around comes around; no one is spared by fate.

The fourth top comment, from an account verified as a "Former NASA Engineer":

@MarsRoverMike: I worked at NASA for twenty years and participated in the Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity missions. Today, I registered for the Xingchen Deep Space Network with my personal email. I don't feel ashamed; I feel proud. Because it means that human exploration will not stop because of politics.

The comment section was filled with praise:

"Brother, you are a true scientist."

"I've watched the photos sent back by Spirit countless times. Thank you."

"Exploration has no borders!"

Su Chen sat on the sofa in his office, with the CNN news playing on the television screen in front of him. The anchor was reporting on the Xingchen Deep Space Network, and the footage cut to the exterior of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, with a reporter reporting on the news of "NASA scientists privately registering for the Chinese deep space network."

Su Chen picked up his teacup, took a sip, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Lin Wan stood to the side, holding a tablet and watching the excitement on Twitter. She couldn't help but smile. "President Su, CNN is calling this a 'day of shame for American scientists.' Netizens are leaving comments below saying, 'It's not shame, it's an awakening.'"

Su Chen shook his head. "CNN always likes to create conflict. This isn't shame, nor is it an awakening. This is the instinct of science. Scientists are born to explore the unknown. Politics can only block them for a while, not forever."

Lin Wan asked, "President Su, why open it up to NASA? They are our rivals."

Su Chen put down his teacup, his gaze drifting far away. "Wan, do you know why we built the deep space network?"

Lin Wan thought for a moment. "For Mars exploration?"

Su Chen shook his head. "More than that. It's for the future of humanity. Earth is great, but there can't always be only one choice. Mars, the Moon, the asteroid belt, the moons of Jupiter—one day, humans will live in these places. And communication is the foundation of civilization. Without communication, there is no civilization."

He paused, his tone becoming deeper. "As for NASA—letting them use our network means we'll also be able to see their data in the future. A fair exchange."

Lin Wan was stunned, then smiled. "I see."

Su Chen shook his head and smiled as well. "It's not stealing; it's sharing. The nature of scientists is to share. You share yours, I share mine, and everyone can progress. That is the true 'science has no borders.'"

Outside the window, on the waters of Shenzhen Bay, the moonlight cast a silvery white glow. In the distance, a cargo ship slowly passed by, its whistle sounding long and low.

Su Chen stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the night sky. "Tonight, three satellites are flying toward the Lagrange point. In three months, Mars will have internet. In five years, the Moon will too. In ten years, the asteroid belt. In twenty years, Jupiter."

He turned to look at Lin Wan. "Do you think humans back then will still care about the wolf amendment?"

Lin Wan thought for a moment and shook her head. "No, they won't."

Su Chen smiled. "Exactly. Because by then, humanity will have stepped out of Earth. Who will still care about those petty matters on Earth?"

Outside the window, in the southern night sky, one star was exceptionally bright.

That wasn't a star; it was one of the three satellites just launched, flying toward the Lagrange point.

Flying toward Mars.

Flying toward the future of humanity.