I ask you to build tractors, but you build rockets?

In 2014, international commercial aerospace companies were still in the development stage. The rockets of major aerospace powers were very popular and they were eager to grab their share.

Lao Ma's Falcon 9 will be successfully recovered for the first time at the end of next year. Although commercial launches have already begun, the success rate is not very good, and it is still a gamble.

Domestic... Domestic demand for satellite launches is also strong.

For the country's top universities and companies with space needs, waiting for rockets is really a hassle.

First of all, it is expensive. The launch cost per kilogram is very high, so the size and weight of the satellite must be reduced.

The second is the difficulty. With the domestic rocket capacity currently in service, launching small satellites is overkill, but the price will not be reduced. One satellite and ten satellites have the same price, as long as they are the same rocket.

So you have to wait, order together, and try to spread the cost of the Rockets as thinly as possible.

The third is the lack of suitable rockets. The carrying capacity of Long March 2 and 3, which is a few tons and a dozen tons, is too large. The domestic satellite launch demand in one or two years may not be so heavy.

Moreover, different satellites work in different orbits. They cannot be gathered together and launched together, and the launch windows are also different.

For this situation, the Magic City team designed the Long March 6, with the goal of designing a rocket with a simple structure, small capacity, and low price to meet this demand.

The first stage of the Long March 6 happens to be a YF100 engine, with a core diameter of 3.35 meters, a LEO transport capacity of about 1.5 tons, and an SSO transport capacity.

At present, small satellites designed by universities and national defense universities in Northeast China, Shaanxi, and Beijing, as well as several military industrial enterprises, are all preparing for Long March 6.

According to the plan, Long March 6 will take these satellites on their first flight a year later and send them to the 700KM SSO sun-synchronous orbit.

The current Changliu is still undergoing rocket body testing, and the YF100 has only been accepted for a few years and is still being improved.

These universities and companies slowly built satellites and then waited for the rocket, but they were attracted by Xianyuan-1.

Especially when I saw the 400 kilogram satellite of Nanjing Institute of Technology, I was even more sour that I drooled.

Why? Because the SSO capacity of Changli is only 700 kilograms, and the combined weight of more than 20 pieces of cargo for the first flight cannot exceed this number.

Now, a school that is in the middle and lower reaches in their eyes has exclusive access to 400 kilograms of payload, and it only cost 10 million? !

One kilogram is only more than 20,000 yuan? You must know that Changliu’s price is 64,000 per kilogram, which is several times more expensive.

Since Nanjing Institute of Technology's satellite circled in the sky, many papers were published on its face, and its popularity spread throughout university circles.

Ordinary people see it with envy, but in the eyes of truly first-class universities, this is simply a waste of natural resources.

With such a large weight and volume, a space radiation detector is installed? And half the battery?

As the saying goes, jealousy distorts people. These universities and companies kept an eye on Xinyuan Aerospace even if they had nothing to do. Within a few days, the official website was updated.

Androv’s Xinyuan 1A, B, and C models were listed, and he stated that Xinyuan Aerospace will officially use these three types of rockets to undertake commercial space launches.

Among them, Xinyuan-1C uses a new 3.5-meter-diameter rocket body, with an SSO orbital load of 770 kilograms. The lowest quotation starts from 39,900 yuan!

The price of such a rocket, which is almost a replica of the Changliu, has dropped by one-third!

It doesn’t matter if the modified model hasn’t flown yet. Next year the Changli will fly for the first time, so the risks are no different.

Besides, Xinyuan No. 1 has flown before, so a modified model is more reliable than the brand-new Chang Liu.

On the first day of September, the factory office received an inquiry letter from a southern military industrial enterprise, asking about the specific technical parameters of Xinyuan-1C.

Lin Ju attached great importance to this real first order and asked Androv to respond personally.

In the following week, the two parties communicated through emails for several days, and then the other party expressed their intention to inspect.

Lin Ju readily agreed. At this time, the factory had just been upgraded to Class C, which was just in time to support its appearance.

After upgrading and transformation by the system team, the new factory floor area has been expanded by three times, and it has a maximum processing capacity of 6 meters in rocket body diameter.

A new research and development site has been added, as well as a 3D additive printer that only matured seven or eight years ago, and advanced processing machine tools, also of unknown brands.

At least in terms of infrastructure, Xinyuan Aerospace's manufacturing capabilities are on par with or even slightly better than those of the space agency. The only difference lies in scale and technology accumulation.

When the representatives from the military factory came to Xinyuan Aerospace, they almost doubted whether they had flown to the wrong place.

How come this is similar to the rocket factory in Jingu, and it also looks more advanced.

Moreover, at this time, the factory was manufacturing rocket engines to be delivered to the Sixth Academy, and it took out a new 3D printer to try to process some parts for the first time.

For example, in the past, the rocket nozzle was first made into an elliptical model, then rotated and extruded on a forging machine to be processed into the final product.

Now the printer starts from scratch on the base and can produce compliant products bit by bit. Even some parts and structures are processed and formed at one time, which not only improves efficiency, but also reduces the welding process and weight.

One word - advanced!

"Representative Chen, it now only takes 86 hours to completely produce an engine like this, but we can produce four at a time, with an average of less than 22 hours. That is to say, a liquid oxygen kerosene engine with a thrust of 120 tons. Our factory can produce one unit a day on average!

The Sixth Hospital purchased 3 units from us and it only took 3 days to complete! "

The deputy manager in charge of reception patted his chest and looked extremely proud.

"Awesome, awesome!"

Chen Wang, the representative of the military factory, was completely convinced of the technical strength of Xinyuan Aerospace Power Company and kept applauding him.

Now even the space agency has come to buy it, so what else is there to worry about?

Little did he know that the deputy manager was completely bragging. The theoretical working hours of 86 hours was a fact, but due to the lack of experience and skilled workers, this number was very watery. It only existed in theory at present, but even this was enough to make people feel sad. Admired.

"Manager Hu, may I ask how much is the cost of a single launch of your Xinyuan-1C?"

"Not much, RMB 30 million is exactly. The more the load, the more cost-effective the unit price is. The minimum price of 40,000 kilograms is not only the publicity, but also the actual price.

Of course, if the payload is lighter, the same price will apply. After all, the cost of each of our rockets is fixed and cannot be changed. "

Chen Wang nodded and did not refute. Rocket transportation is not a taxi. It cannot be reused or cut corners with a small payload. If the 110 kilogram payload is launched alone, the price per kilogram will soar to 280,000, which is obviously inappropriate.

But since he came here on behalf of the military factory, he must have expected it.

"Although our payload is only 110 kilograms, this is only the original plan. If the unit price is 40,000 yuan, this number will double.

There are also three or four companies that have similar needs to ours. Their orbits are all SSO sun-synchronous orbits. Together, they weigh nearly 600 kilograms. If the total price does not exceed 25 million, they can be accepted.

However, this launch has a time limit and must be in orbit before December this year, but I don’t think it will be a problem for you. "

It's rare that Chen Wang didn't negotiate the price, because the price of 40,000 per kilogram is unique in the world. Unless you go to LEO, you can almost reach this price in domestic group tours.

Xinyuan Aerospace received the intention and reported it to Lin Ju.

Lin Ju thought about it carefully. If the 600 kilogram payload was launched into space and got 25 million, the profit margin would be around 7 million. However, if the R\u0026D investment for the Xinyuan-1 modification is taken into account, he would still be able to earn 5 million.

He didn't have any black-hearted self-awareness of taking into account all the improvement costs. Instead, he felt that he was too kind.

Although I earned a little less, it was my first commercial order after all, so let’s treat it as a discount.

One day later, Chen Wang saw Deputy Manager Hu looking embarrassed:

"To be honest, the manufacturing cost of our rocket is more than 20 million, and 30 million itself is a very low number."

Chen Wang: I believe you ().

“But, as the first commercial user to choose us, Chairman Lin said, 26 million, we can’t make friends without making money.

Moreover, if the rocket is launched within two months, there will be no problem if the satellite is in place. As for the launch insurance, it all depends on your volition. "

Well, space launches are also insured, at least for now.

In the next few years, private spaceflight experienced several disastrous failures, which made a Swiss insurance company unbearable and quit the business.

26 million is right at the highest point of Chen Wang’s price, slightly higher.

At this price, he contacted other companies and there was hope that he could lower the price to just over 40,000 yuan.

Just when both parties were in agreement, the leader of the Eighth Academy, who was working hard to promote Long March 6, suddenly sneezed, shook his head, looked out the window and muttered:

"Who wants to harm us again?"