“I’m so sorry!”
“I’m sorry for your inconvenience!”
“This is a small gift of thanks, please be sure to accept it!”
“Although the T2800GB carbon fiber cannot be supplied on time, the T2000GB and T1600GB models will definitely be supplied to you with quality and quantity!”
“Please accept our sincere apology, please!”
Tokyo, Minato-ku, Honda Co., Ltd., yacht division.
The middle-aged man in a black suit, who kept bowing and apologizing like a chicken sucking rice, came from Toray Group, the world’s largest carbon fiber supplier. With the rapid rise of the carbon fiber project department under Star Chemical, Toray Group Has become the second child in the field of materials science, and the former second child North American DuPont Group has become the third child.
The thing is like this, the yacht manufacturing subsidiary of Honda Co., Ltd. ordered super strong carbon fiber material, T2800GB, from Toray Group for the manufacture of new luxury speedboats. However, Toray Group is now trying to tear up the contract.
Although Toray Group’s sales representatives kept bowing and apologizing, Nobuhiro Kuda, who was sitting on the boss’s chair with arms folded, was still extremely dissatisfied. He slapped the table hard and reprimanded him severely.
“We want to provide customers with the highest quality products! If it weren’t for Star Technology’s T5000GB and T4000GB carbon fiber, which are not sold externally, how could we order your T2800GB model!”
“It’s good now, you persuade us to use the T2000GB with worse tensile strength? How can I explain this to the customer? You know, this is our flagship speedboat product! It’s the pinnacle of the world’s speed champion!”
The representative of Toray Group, who was sprayed with spit on his face, said helplessly: “We really have no choice. Mr. Nelson, the director of the White House Office of Education and Science, came to us in person, in the name of the North American authorities. , contracted all high-end carbon fiber production capacity for the next three years, and we dare not offend customers like the North American authorities.”
“You don’t dare to offend Americans, but you dare to offend our Honda Co., Ltd.!?” Nobuhiro Fukuta felt discriminated against, and instantly became violent, scolding the representative of Toray Group.
After venting, Nobuhiro Kuda, who sat back on the chair, calmed down. He touched his chin with his right hand and said, “North America wants all of your production capacity, probably because of the Starlink project?”
The representative of Toray Group whispered: “It should be, but there must be other more important uses. After all, the battle for space supremacy has been going on for three months, and the battle is really unprecedented. Tragic!”
“China and the United States are indeed the two most powerful countries on earth, and NASA and Xingchen Technology are also the world’s largest scientific research groups, and their strength is so strong that they are outrageous. Dozens of launch missions!”
“Star Technology launched a space station module today, and Cape Canaveral exploded a cluster of communication satellites the day after tomorrow. It is really terrible. Now, except for China and the United States, the whole world is silent. Russia and Europe, which once clamored to participate in the space hegemony , have completely shut up, facing the contest between two prehistoric behemoths, they simply do not have the strength to participate, Europe can launch an Ariana, and China and North America can shoot more than a dozen rockets!”
“Now in the synchronous orbit, there are a lot of Xingchen Technology modules, and in the low-earth orbit, there are thousands of Starlink communication satellites. I doubt it. Before long, the synchronous orbit will become the territory of China. Earth orbit will become the back garden of North America.”
“Supposing they set up the legendary space-based weapons in the sky, I am afraid that the neon sinking will not be just a fiction, but will become a reality!”
Hey~
Korada Nobuhiro let out a sigh. He who was so valiant just now is a little wilted now. If he is the president of Toray Group, I am afraid there is no better way. He will choose to break the contract and then go all out to North America. Supply it.
After all, North America and China are giants that cannot be offended on earth.
“Sit down.”
Korada Nobuhiro pointed to the sofa next to him, and the representative of Toray Group sat down nervously as if he had been pardoned.
“Do you know why their launch rhythm suddenly slowed down after the end of the year?” Kurota Nobuhiro asked curiously.
The battle for space supremacy between China and the United States began in mid-September and reached its climax in October and November. Now it is December, and the frequency of launches from both sides has suddenly slowed down, which is really puzzling.
Toray’s sales representative said in a low voice: “It is said that the production capacity can’t keep up. The rhythm of the launch of the two sides is really crazy. The spare parts that were previously stored have been consumed, and they have fallen into an embarrassing situation where there is nothing to launch.”
“Because of this, the North American side will directly contract all of our production capacity. I heard that a joint venture factory will be built in Illinois to be jointly operated by both of us. Not only us, but also from Germany, France, Switzerland, etc. The suppliers are all doing their best to supply North America, while NASA’s own factory has entered a rare round-the-clock operation.”
“Oh, so that’s the case. As expected of Huaxia and North America, they are really strong!”
Korada Nobuhiro suddenly realized that before the start of the space program, both Luo Jia and Musk had a little inventory, but now due to the launch speed is too fast, the inventory has been exhausted, and the new product has not yet been put into storage. Launched cargo, which is more embarrassing.
This time they used large rockets with amazing carrying capacity.
The A1 engine of Xingchen Technology has a standard thrust of 550 tons, but the thrust does not represent the capacity. The combination of twelve A1 engines produces a thrust of 6,600 tons, which can probably transport 200 tons of goods to the synchronous track.
The disadvantage of Luo Jia over Musk is that Musk builds the star chain at an average distance of 150 kilometers from the ground, while the space station of Star Technology is built in a synchronous orbit 36,000 kilometers from the ground. The farther you go, the more thrust you need.
When Xingchen Technology launches the 18-engine 10,000-ton rocket, it will only be able to transport 300 tons of cargo at a time. There is no way to do this. Who made Luo Jia’s ambitions bigger and set his goals higher.
In short, the unstoppable torrent is rolling in. Although this is the space hegemony between China and the United States, it involves everyone in the world. From East Asia to Australia to Europe, no one can stand alone.
Korada Nobuhiro leaned his body back, and said in a deep voice: “Understood, Toray Group is forced to participate in this competition among major powers. It is not up to you to decide. You just don’t know. , Who can laugh at the end? If Huaxia wins in the end, they should blame you, right? After all, 70% of the carbon fiber materials used in North America are supplied by you, and the other 30% come from DuPont Group. “
“Who knows.” Toray’s representative lowered his head silently, “In the long run, North America should have a greater chance. The space station seems to have no way to generate profits, it seems to be burning money.”
…
Florida, outside of Miami, NASA’s Space Dynamics Corporation.
Neon Toray’s advanced carbon fiber took off from Narita Airport and was sent here day and night to make Hall effect thrusters, an important component in Starlink communication satellites.
Regardless of Hall effect thrusters and ion thrusters, they all belong to the family of electric thrusters, but there is a relatively large gap in technical methods and potentials.
As we all know, there are three ways to realize electric propulsion, which are electrostatic, electromagnetic and electrothermal. Among them, electrothermal propulsion is quite simple and ancient, and it is not worth mentioning, while electrostatic technology is based on electron bombardment propulsion Representative, electromagnetic technology is represented by pulsed plasma propulsion.
In addition, there is a special thruster, which also belongs to electrostatic propulsion, but it is different from the electron bombardment thruster, which is the Hall effect thruster.
In 1879, North American physicist Hall discovered that when the current passes through the conductor perpendicular to the external magnetic field, a voltage will appear between the two end faces of the conductor perpendicular to the direction of the magnetic field and current. This phenomenon is the Hall effect.
The interstellar thruster based on the Hall effect is the Hall thruster. At this stage, most satellites in the world use this technology. Luo Jia has conducted a large-scale Hall thruster not long ago Improvements so that it can meet the needs of flying out of the solar system can be regarded as the second generation of Hall thrusters. The large-scale application in the West is still the first generation of technology.
The horsepower of the first-generation Hall thrusters was not large, only a few kilowatts at most, but it was no problem to propel satellites in space.
The scene in the factory is full of enthusiasm. From the management to the workers, everyone is working like a chicken blood, and the parts from the global supply chain are constantly being sent to the warehouse by trucks.
According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 5,000 companies that directly or indirectly provide NASA with parts or outsource technical services, mobilizing what can be called the most powerful force in the entire West. ~Soverse.com~ People see the crazy launch plans of the two space bases, but they are just appearances. The real deep-seated competition is unfolding in all aspects of society. Although the manufacturing industry in North America has been hollowed out, there are still neon signs among allies in North America. A top manufacturing force like Germany, not to mention North America, which has financial hegemony, is far richer than China.
According to statistics, the direct consumption of the U.S. military in the Iraq war alone was as high as 763 billion U.S. dollars, and the indirect consumption caused by the maintenance of stability and war in the later period was even more exaggerated, as much as 4 trillion U.S. dollars!
However, even so, North America was not dragged down by the war. After the Iraq war, North America also fought wars in Afghanistan and Syria, which also cost a lot. During the war, the GDP growth rate of North America even far exceeded that of Europe without war. .
It can be seen from this that it is unrealistic to expect that the space race, which will cost tens of billions, will bring North America down. Otherwise, North America would have fallen in the Iraq War long ago.
On the contrary, the pressure on Huaxia and Xingchen Technology is unprecedentedly huge. The annual consumption of one trillion U.S. dollars, even if Xingchen Technology is big, it will inevitably hurt. Shen Lang sells cosmetics at high prices to women in his country. It’s because of lack of money. .
After all, the money that Chinese women spend on cosmetics doesn’t just fall from the sky. The family subsidizes some, and the husband and boyfriend subsidize some. They originally planned to take their children to travel abroad, but now they have changed to Tieling, a big city.
Anyway, for the sake of the space program, for the first time since the establishment of Xingchen Technology, heavy taxes have been collected from the compatriots in the hometown. It is not difficult to see that the current situation is tragic and difficult. It has reached an unprecedented level. Be alone.