Rebirth: Starting from Lighting Up the Tech Tree

Chapter 176 The Night Before Launch

After three hours of bumpy travel across the Gobi Desert, Zuo Cheng's off-road vehicle finally came into view of the launch site.

On the horizon, a lone white launch tower stood, the vertical assembly building beside it resembling a giant silver block. Sky One was already erected on the launch pad, forty-eight hours until ignition.

Yu Ying, Li Guodong, and Han Lu were sitting in the car. No one spoke; the wind and sand outside the window lashed against the glass, making a soft, rustling sound.

"How's the weather forecast?" Zuo Cheng broke the silence.

"During the launch window, the wind speed is below eight meters per second, visibility is above ten kilometers, and there are no thunderstorms," ​​Han Lu said, looking at the tablet. "But the weather in the Gobi Desert is unpredictable, so we are deploying additional weather balloons."

The car stopped outside the launch tower. Zuo Cheng got out of the car and looked up at Cangqiong-1.

Three months ago, this rocket was still lying in the final assembly workshop in Hangzhou. Now it points straight to the sky, the white paint on the rocket body is somewhat rough in the wind and sand, and the four engine nozzles look like four eyes waiting to open.

"Has the leak detection of the rocket body been completed?" Zuo Cheng asked.

"It was completed last night," Li Guodong said. "The airtightness tests of the first and second stage fuel tanks all passed, and the helium mass spectrometer leak detector did not detect any leaks. The electrical system completed its final ship-wide test this morning, and all 372 sensor signals were normal."

Zuo Cheng nodded and walked towards the inspection platform at the bottom of the launch tower.

Seven or eight engineers stood on the platform, making final preparations. A young technician saw Zuo Cheng and instinctively straightened his back.

"Don't be nervous," Zuo Cheng said. "Just follow the procedure."

Inside the launch site control center, a large screen is divided into more than a dozen displays, showing the real-time status of various rocket systems. Fuel tank pressure, battery voltage, inertial measurement unit readings, engine temperature—all data fluctuate within the green zone.

"When will the communication link test begin?" Zuo Cheng asked.

"Three o'clock in the afternoon," Han Lu said. "We need to verify the end-to-end latency from the launch pad to the headquarters in Hangzhou, as well as the three backup communication lines in the emergency plan."

What about the emergency plan?

"Three systems. First, the launch pad emergency shutdown procedure, which cuts off the fuel supply and releases pressure within three seconds. Second, the escape system; in the event of a malfunction during takeoff, the escape tower on top of the fairing can pull the payload bay away within 0.5 seconds. Third, in the event of a failed first-stage recovery, the ground safety system detonates the unlanded rocket body in a predetermined area at sea to prevent it from crashing into densely populated areas."

Zuo Cheng listened to each point carefully: "Has the escape system been tested?"

"We conducted seventeen ground simulations, all of which were successful," Li Guodong said. "However, the live-fire test will have to wait until after the official launch. This time, we are only carrying a verification satellite; there is no need for a crewed mission, so the escape tower is just passively on standby."

The communication link test began at 3 PM.

Zuo Cheng sat in the control center, watching the technicians call each ground station one by one. Jiuquan, Xi'an, Qingdao, and Hangzhou—the four telemetry and control stations—responded in turn, with clear signals.

"Backup link switchover test."

The main communication line was deliberately cut off, and the backup link automatically took over within three seconds without interruption of data transmission.

"The third backup link is satellite communication."

Technicians transmitted telemetry and control data back to Hangzhou via satellite relay. While this link has a slightly higher latency, it is sufficient to maintain minimum communication in emergencies.

By the time the test ended, the sun had already begun to set in the west.

Twenty-four hours before launch, the team held its final meeting.

The meeting room was in a prefabricated building next to the launch site, with more than twenty people crammed around a long table. Li Guodong sat on the left, Yu Ying on the right, and opposite them was Qin, the head of ground support for the launch site, a retired military officer in his fifties.

"Let me report on the status of all preparations." Li Guodong opened his notebook. "The rocket structure is qualified. A total of 340 tons of propellant has been loaded for the first and second stages, and the liquid oxygen and kerosene ratio is normal. The electrical system has passed the ship-wide test. The AI-enhanced guidance algorithm of the control system has completed its final verification, and the flight data input is correct. Weather conditions meet the requirements. All four ground control stations are in place."

He closed his notebook: "Technically speaking, we are ready."

The meeting room was quiet for a moment.

"Captain Qin, what about ground support?" Zuo Cheng asked.

"The launch pad's fire suppression system has been inspected, the propellant loading pipelines have been sealed, and the emergency evacuation routes are clear," Captain Qin's voice was steady. "My men are on duty 24 hours a day."

Zuo Cheng stood up and walked to the whiteboard by the wall.

"I'd like to say a few words." Everyone was looking at him.

"Forty-eight months ago, there were only three people in 402, writing code in a 20-square-meter office," Zuo Cheng said in a low voice. "Forty-eight months later, we stand in China's largest commercial launch site, ready to launch a rocket we built ourselves tomorrow."

"This rocket has four engines, 372 sensors, and 20,000 parts. Every part has been inspected, and every interface has been tested. But launching a rocket isn't like solving a math problem; even if you get the calculation right, you might not get the correct answer. SpaceX has exploded, Blue Origin has exploded, everyone who works on rockets has exploded."

He paused, then continued, "So whatever the outcome tomorrow, remember this: we've done something no one has ever done before. China's first privately-developed orbital rocket—this first in itself is something we should all be proud of."

Applause erupted in the conference room.

"Has the launch window been confirmed?" Zuo Cheng asked.

"The window is at 10:15 AM tomorrow, with a nine-minute window," Li Guodong said. "If you miss it, the next window is in three days."

"Tomorrow," Zuo Cheng said, "10:15."

After the meeting, Zuo Cheng did not return to his dormitory. He walked alone to the sand dunes at the edge of the launch site and sat down to look at the launch tower in the distance.

As night fell, the wind on the Gobi Desert grew cooler. The Cangqiong-1 satellite, illuminated by several searchlights, resembled a white candle against the dark sky.

Yu Ying walked over and sat down next to him.

"Can't sleep?"

"Thinking about something," Zuo Cheng said.

What are you thinking about?

"What if I fail tomorrow?"

Yu Ying was silent for a moment: "You wouldn't have thought about these things before."

"Before, I worked on software; if I made a mistake, I could fix it. But with rockets, if something goes wrong, there's no chance to fix it," Zuo Cheng said. "But it's precisely this feeling of having no way out that makes me certain I'm doing the right thing."

He looked up at the sky. The stars were bright, and the sky, free from light pollution, resembled a black cloth studded with tiny diamonds.

"By this time tomorrow, Sky One will either be in orbit or it will be gone," Zuo Cheng said. "But either way, 402 will no longer be the same company."

"What do you mean?"

"Whether a company can build rockets is a one-time test. Once proven, everyone will believe you can do even bigger things," Zuo Cheng said. "So tomorrow's launch is not essentially a technological verification, but a verification of trust."

Yu Ying leaned on his shoulder: "Will you be nervous?"

"Yes," Zuo Cheng smiled, "but the anxiety isn't about whether the rocket will fly, but about how many more will need to be built after it takes off."

In the distance, the lights on the launch tower flickered.

Tomorrow at 10:15.