Rebirth: Starting from Lighting Up the Tech Tree

Chapter 162 The First Satellites

"Solar energy collection module, microwave transmission module, attitude control module. Put these three together, and you have a complete verification satellite." Li Guodong stood in front of the projection screen, pointing to the 3D model on the screen, his tone as if he were introducing a home-cooked dish.

In the conference room on the second floor of the research institute, Zuo Cheng, Yu Ying, Shen Yiming, Qiu Pei, and Wei Jia sat around a long table. The projector light shone on Li Guodong's gray hair, making him appear radiant.

"The triple-junction gallium arsenide battery used in the collection module has an efficiency of 30.2%, which is currently the highest mass-production level we can achieve," Li Guodong said, switching to a slide and zooming in on the details of the microwave transmitting antenna. "The microwave transmitting module uses the 5.8GHz band, which is perfectly matched with the ground-based receiving array. The antenna adopts a phased array design, which can electronically scan and adjust the beam direction without requiring mechanical rotation. The attitude control module is a standard combination of cold gas propulsion and a magnetic torquer, a mature solution."

Yu Ying had been taking notes in her notebook. After Li Guodong finished presenting the last slide, she put down her pen and asked a question that everyone was concerned about.

What is the overall energy conversion efficiency of the entire satellite?

"The conversion efficiency from solar energy to microwaves is conservatively estimated at 78%," said Li Guodong. "Our eighth version of the beamforming algorithm has pushed the simulation to 80.2%. But simulation is not real-world testing, so I'm leaving a margin of 78% for this conservative value."

"78% is already a world record," Qiu Pei added. "NASA's most optimistic prediction was only 73%."

Zuo Cheng remained silent, his gaze fixed on the 3D model. The model was labeled with various parameters: total mass 1200 kg, unfolded area 50 square meters, and designed lifespan of three years.

"What about the launch quality?" Zuo Cheng asked.

"1200 kilograms," Li Guodong replied. "The Long March series is perfectly capable. The aerospace technology department has confirmed that the Long March 2C's payload capacity is sufficient."

"What about the cost?"

Li Guodong glanced at Han Lu. Han Lu opened the form in her hand.

"The manufacturing cost of a single verification satellite is approximately 120 million yuan," Han Lu said. "Of this, solar cells account for the largest share, about 35%. The microwave transmitting antenna is the second largest, at 28%."

Zuo Cheng did the math in his head. The first batch of ten satellites would cost 1.2 billion. Adding launch costs and insurance, the total investment would be close to 1.5 billion. The initial 250 million from Aerospace Science and Technology, plus 402's own funds, would barely be enough. But if mass production were to follow, costs had to be reduced.

"Two things," Zuo Cheng began. "First, can the mass of a single satellite be reduced to under 1,000 kilograms? The launch price for the Long March 2 rocket is calculated by weight; reducing it by 100 kilograms would save approximately eight million."

Li Guodong thought for two seconds: "If we sacrifice some redundancy in the design, reducing it to 1050 kg shouldn't be a problem. Going any further would involve structural safety margins, which I don't recommend."

"1050 will do," Zuo Cheng said. "The second thing is, can the cost of the microwave transmitting antenna be reduced?"

The question caused a few seconds of silence in the meeting room.

Wei Jia spoke first: "The high cost of antennas lies in customized production. If we can connect with the aerospace technology supply chain and replace some customized components with their standard parts, the cost can be reduced by 40%."

"The supply chain in aerospace technology is very slow," Han Lu frowned. "It takes three months to get approval for a single component."

"Then let's report it in advance," Zuo Cheng said. "Han Lu, you'll go and coordinate with Deputy Chief Engineer Su tomorrow."

Han Lu nodded and drew an asterisk in her notebook.

The design review meeting lasted a full four hours. Qiu Pei presented the orbital parameters, demonstrating that the verification satellite will be deployed in geosynchronous orbit, positioned at 120 degrees west longitude, covering most of China. Wei Jia reported on the simulation results of microwave transmission under different weather conditions: efficiency was highest on clear days, decreased by about three percentage points in moderate rain, and while heavy rain would temporarily interrupt transmission but would not damage the equipment.

Shen Yiming offered a suggestion from an AI perspective. He spoke quickly, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table.

"I suggest pre-installing a lightweight adaptive adjustment algorithm on the satellite to automatically optimize beam pointing based on real-time meteorological data from the ground. This isn't a simple threshold judgment; it uses reinforcement learning to create an online optimization strategy. It's like giving the satellite a thinking brain."

"That's a good idea," Li Guodong rarely offered praise, "but Wei Jia, could your atmospheric database be updated in real time?"

"Sure," Wei Jia said. "I'm already working on the interface; the meteorological sensor data from the ground station can be directly uploaded to the satellite's onboard computer."

Yu Ying drew a flowchart on paper: ground meteorological data is uploaded, onboard AI calculates the optimal beam direction in real time, and the microwave transmission module adjusts automatically. The three links form a closed loop.

"If this closed loop works, the actual transmission efficiency will be at least three to five percentage points higher than the static simulation," Yu Ying said. "That's like jumping directly from 78% to 82%."

Zuo Cheng looked at the flowchart drawn by Yu Ying, a slight smile playing on his lips. This was the very meaning of the research institute. It wasn't about everyone doing their own thing, but about bringing together knowledge from different fields into a unified whole.

"The plan is finalized." Zuo Cheng stood up. "Three-module structure, 1050 kg, onboard AI adaptive beam optimization. The first batch of ten satellites aims to be assembled within eight months."

He looked at Li Guodong: "Old Li, will you be on time?"

Li Guodong remained silent for three seconds.

"Seven months."

Yu Ying looked into Li Guodong's eyes. There was no hesitation in those old eyes, only a composure that came from having seen too many big scenes.

"Then seven months," Zuo Cheng said.

Three days after the design review was approved, Han Lu arranged a small-scale media briefing. It wasn't a formal press conference; it was simply a meeting in the 402 headquarters conference room, where she showed a few concept images and key parameters to reporters from five tech media outlets. Han Lu specifically instructed the reporters that they could publish the information, but the technical details would remain confidential for the time being.

The moment the news was released, social media exploded.

"Is 402 Technology going to build a space-based photovoltaic satellite?"

"Is this for real or fake?"

"Zuo Cheng is only 23 years old, and he's already working on a space power station?"

Han Lu sat in her office, watching the constantly changing number of reposts on her phone screen, a slight smile playing on her lips. She sent Zuo Cheng a message: Seventh on the trending topics list.

Zuo Cheng replied with a single word: "Okay."

Then he turned off his phone and opened the system panel on his desk. The progress bar for the space photovoltaic branch on the panel was glowing slightly, a little brighter than last month. He didn't know how far it was from activation. But he knew that every satellite built was a step in that direction.

The seven-month countdown begins today.

With six months until the ground station is completed and less than a year until the launch window, time is running out for everyone.