Chapter 1682 It’s better to leave the remaining brave men to chase the poor bandits

Although Chang Haonan and Lan Xinzhi habitually lowered their voices when talking, they did not hide from other people in the meeting room.

On the one hand, those who can attend today's meeting are core personnel with high-level confidentiality. News like this involving SpaceX will be reported soon after the meeting.

On the other hand, there was no direct communication mechanism similar to a "hotline" established on both sides of the Pacific at that time, and Washington was informed of the incident through regular channels.

Considering the pervasiveness of Western media, I am afraid that within a few days, some so-called "relevant insiders" will come forward to reveal the information.

Therefore, Li Renping, who happened to be holding a notebook and preparing to report on his learning progress, was able to capture some words.

It is mainly the part that Lan Xinzhi just mentioned.

He hesitated for a moment, then gently closed the notebook and asked in a low voice:

"Academician Chang, Director Lan...is there any chance that the situation...will improve?"

There was a hint of worry in his tone—

Now everything is on the verge of happening. If the situation eases, resulting in a shift in the strategic focus originally placed on the "Beacon" plan and a reduction in resource input, then this technological dawn, which was finally opened with great difficulty, may be pushed back into a long period of exploration.

Chang Haonan's gaze shifted from the complex topological diagrams and feature matrices on the screen to Li Renping's face.

"Don't worry, the 'Beacon' project is not Star Wars. No matter what the external situation is, we will definitely push forward to the end."

He certainly understood the concerns of the old astronaut, so he immediately dispelled his concerns:

"Besides, if they had stopped their attacks six months ago and returned to their original framework, perhaps there would still be room for negotiation, and we could have managed to maintain a fighting-but-not-breaking situation..."

"But now, the balance of power has shifted, and the scales are clearly tilting in our favor... Why would you want to call a halt now? There's no such thing as a free lunch!"

Strictly speaking, Chang Haonan does not have the decision-making power on this issue.

But he had discussed this matter with his superiors as early as when he was preparing the "Beacon" and fusion demonstration reactor projects.

So I am very confident about the situation.

Lan Xinzhi, standing nearby, chimed in, using a metaphor: "It's like the Germans suddenly wanting a ceasefire after the Battle of Kursk in 1943, and withdrawing to the borders before June 1941, 6... Do you think Moscow would agree? The only outcome is a complete settlement in Berlin."

Having said this, he suddenly paused and sneered:

"Once the window of technological advantage opens, we must seize it firmly until a generational gap is formed. This is a battle for national destiny, and there is no room for leniency or strategic misjudgment... Detente? Negotiations must be backed by overwhelming strength, otherwise it will be a surrender."

Lan Xinzhi has been basically confirmed to be the next director of the Industrial and Construction Committee, so he is no longer shy about making such clear-cut statements.

After listening to the two people's decisive analysis, the huge rock hanging in Li Renping's heart finally fell to the ground.

He let out a long sigh, then picked up his notebook again, ready to continue his interrupted report.

However, Chang Haonan changed the subject, with a hint of joking in his tone:

"Having said that, Washington's statement at least shows that some within their ranks are truly desperate, desperate enough to want to use SpaceX as a bargaining chip. And in order to divide them and bring in more resources, it's not impossible that the higher-ups will approve SpaceX setting up a research and development center, a production plant, or even a rocket launch site in China. And..."

Chang Haonan glanced at the other core experts around the conference table and said meaningfully:

"The higher-ups may further liberalize and even encourage the orderly entry of private capital into the space sector, particularly in commercial launches and space application services... When that happens, you won't just be facing the pressure of national missions, but also potential, more agile competitors... On a tactical level, you must maintain a healthy sense of crisis..."

In fact, Chang Haonan does have a positive attitude towards SpaceX's investment in China.

But at best, it only remains at the level of opening up the market and providing local policy support.

Now the two main power sources of the Long March 177 - YF90 and YF - are on track, and it is not impossible to operate without the Falcon Heavy.

If Washington thinks it can use this little bargaining chip to ensure nothing happens, it can only be said to be wishful thinking.

But it did not prevent him from providing some motivation to Li Renping.

Of course, Li Renping could hear that Chang Haonan was intentionally increasing his intensity.

But the sense of urgency in my heart has indeed increased a lot.

The success of SpaceX's Falcon series rockets and its Merlin engines in the commercial space sector is obvious to all. Its rapid iteration and cost control capabilities have also brought considerable impact to traditional aerospace giants.

He subconsciously straightened his back and said to Chang Haonan and Lan Xinzhi:

"Please rest assured, Commander. The Sixth Academy has already received a lot of additional help. I can't guarantee other areas, but when it comes to rocket propulsion, we are absolutely confident and determined, and will definitely not become a drag on the entire plan!"

After saying that, he turned the notebook to the front few pages and pushed it in front of Chang Haonan.

Then, he pointed his finger at an extremely tight timeline circled in red: "Our internal plan is to complete the paper design and prototype production of the YF2015 and YF177 before the end of 90, and to start test runs in the first quarter of 2016!"

Chang Haonan looked at the schedule carefully. Every node on it was marked very clearly.

And they have obviously undergone a huge revision.

There was a look of approval in his eyes and he nodded with satisfaction.

But then he was visibly stunned for a moment: "Why is there still such a long gap between the completion of the prototype production and the start of the test run?"

Chang Haonan had participated in rocket research and development before. After the test aircraft rolled off the production line, a series of acceptance work had to be completed before it could be officially put into use.

But it shouldn't take that long anyway.

"Well..." Li Renping gave a wry smile. "Originally, the new 800-ton test bench was to be built alongside the YF177, with the plan to complete it and put it into operation within three years. However, the design work has been... you know, it's been accelerated, and there's a lot of civil engineering involved, so we're really not keeping up..."

"As for this current schedule, it's the result of several other units working very hard to come up with it..."

Chang Haonan's expression froze.

Well, after all this fuss, it’s back to me.

However, he really didn't have any way to speed up the construction of the test bench, so he had to change the subject and encourage:

"The core components of the XS-1 space nuclear reactor have entered the final assembly and integration phase, and the body of the Long March C Yao- rocket is also being produced simultaneously. The entire 'Beacon' program has effectively entered an irreversible launch phase."

"To maximize efficiency and minimize on-orbit assembly risks, the first batch of Beacon's functional modules has been explicitly chosen to be large modules. Therefore, the requirement for carrying capacity is a hard indicator... This entire massive project is closely linked. Whether or not we can ultimately achieve the leap in carrying capacity for Earth-Moon transfer orbit as scheduled depends crucially on the development progress of your next-generation heavy-lift launch vehicle."