“Ten.”
“All tank internal pressures normal.”
“Release locking devices.”
“Aircraft status, all green.”
“AI judgment, Go.”
“Two, One, Ignition.”
“Orbital Insertion Vehicle 1 (Booby One), liftoff.”
The oxygen-methane bi-propellant rocket engine spewed fire and smoke, pushing the craft upward.
The launch rocket steadily gained altitude.
Orbital Insertion Vehicle Number One (Booby One). Bearing the name “Gannet,” it was the first space rocket finally completed by ＜The Tree＞.
Its launch capacity was approximately 5 tons to an altitude of 500km. It housed an insertion satellite in its second stage, and the first stage rocket was a reusable type that returned to the launch pad on its own. Furthermore, the second stage rocket itself had an altitude maintenance function, and after releasing the mounted satellite, it was scheduled to remain in orbit and be used as a satellite platform.
By increasing the number of units in the future, it would be possible to operate it as a space station.
“Launch successful. …Commander (Onee-chan), it worked…”
“Good, good, good, good! Olive, you did a great job!”
Commander (Eve) responded with all her might to the blatant praise appeal. Of course, the other sisters who were helping with the control also needed to be petted later, but first, Olive, who led the design and manufacture of the orbital insertion vehicle, had to be rewarded.
“Now then, it’s time to unveil our 기념 information-gathering satellite number one. ＜Ichigo＞, the gravity problem is within expectations, right?”
“Yes, Commander (Onee-sama). Plus 92 seconds. Altitude has exceeded 17km. We have confirmed the gravitational increase phenomenon. The amount of increase is within the expected range.”
The fluctuation of Gravitational Acceleration with altitude is unique to this planet. It gradually starts to increase from an altitude of about 16km, and reaches its maximum at an altitude of about 37km. The value at that time is 1.87G.
The rocket engine of the orbital insertion vehicle exhibits thrust that corresponds to this maximum Gravity.
“All observed values are within the expected range. After this, the first stage rocket will be separated at an altitude of approximately 120km. The satellite is scheduled to be released at an altitude of approximately 500km in about 30 minutes.”
“The orbital insertion vehicle will be back in about 10 minutes~”
“I wonder if it will be able to land properly.”
Utsugi and Erika were in charge of checking each Sensor value. These two were good at real-time analysis. They had a high aptitude for calculating trends and predicted values, rather than accurate analysis results.
＜Ringo＞ classified this as pragmatism.
“Measured Gravitational Acceleration, no change from the expected maximum value.”
“Thrust normal. Combustion temperature within acceptable range. Each tank internal pressure, normal value. Each part frequency is within acceptable range.”
“Ascending, reached specified altitude. First stage rocket, combustion stopped. Second stage separation executed. Completed successfully.”
“Second stage rocket, engine ignition.”
“Ignition confirmed. Second Stage Rocket (Station), resumes acceleration.”
In the transmitted video, the first stage rocket deployed its air brakes and quickly moved away. At an altitude of 120km, Booby One, having lost its thrust, soon began to free fall.
“Going smoothly.”
“Yes, Ma’am. After this, Booby One is scheduled to return to the launch pad. After a simple inspection, if we refuel and mount the second stage rocket, it will be possible to launch again in 4 hours.”
As expected, a disposable rocket would have poor cost performance. Therefore, all space rockets made by ＜The Tree＞ were reusable.
The Second Stage Rocket (Station) does not have the function of entering the atmosphere on its own, but by refueling with a supply ship launched separately, it can continue to orbit in a low orbit of about 300km.
“What is the launch schedule after this?”
“Yes, Ma’am. Unless there are problems with Booby One Unit 1 and subsequent Unit 3, we will launch 10 Second Stage Rockets (Stations).
Along with this, we will launch 16 various satellites.
Orbital Insertion Vehicle 2 (Booby Two), which has a Booster added for geostationary orbit insertion, will also be operated at the same time, and multiple GPS geostationary satellites will be inserted.”
Massive satellite insertion by a space shuttle.
The rocket fuel used is liquid methane and liquid oxygen. Liquid hydrogen has a higher capacity as fuel, but it is difficult to handle.
In particular, in order to make it a reusable type for repeated launches in harsh conditions, it is necessary to significantly strengthen the structure and take measures against vibration and heat.
It is also necessary to deal with the problem of metal embrittlement caused by liquid hydrogen.
Therefore, a rocket using methane, which has a reasonably large specific impulse, is used.
It is easier to handle than hydrogen, and the structure of the fuel tank can be simplified. Also, since the boiling point is close to that of oxygen, insulation measures are almost unnecessary compared to hydrogen.
In addition, the low procurement cost of methane, which can be easily recovered from gas fields and methane hydrate, is also attractive.
“Good. What about the impact on the surrounding environment?”
“Yes, Ma’am.
The launch site is built on a reef located 2km south of Fortress ＜The Tree＞.
The visible distance of the rocket is estimated to be about 500km to 800km, depending on atmospheric conditions.
This distance is all within the sphere of influence of ＜The Tree＞, and there are no traces of continents, islands, or other human forces.
The only concern is the sailing ships engaged in pelagic fishing that are rarely seen, but since they are within the surveillance range, the launch can be adjusted. Also, there is no need to worry if it is cloudy.”
“Okay. Well, I’m not worried about the surveillance system. The surrounding area, including the sea, has been scanned. There are physical surveillance bases, and the Drones are working without any problems.”
Commander (Eve) nodded and gave her approval for future plans.
While they were having such an exchange, Booby One, descending with its injection port facing down, was marked on the main screen.
“It’s back.”
Booby One is a somewhat stout-looking cylindrical rocket.
It is deploying its attitude control wings and descending in a straight line toward the launch pad. The descent speed is approximately 1,000km/h, and it is gradually decelerating.
“Descent speed within acceptable range. Aircraft status, all green. Transitioning to reverse injection ignition sequence.”
“Three, Two, One, Now, Ignition.”
“Booby One, starting reverse injection.”
“No abnormalities in each instrument value. Descent speed decreasing.”
In the telescopic image, Orbital Insertion Vehicle Number One (Booby One) rapidly decelerated as it approached the launch pad.
“30m, 20m, 10m until landing, landed. Position correction, within acceptable range. Connecting the locking device.”
“Fixing completed. Next, connect the composite cable… completed. Booby One, switching circuit to external power.”
“Activating the cooling device. Starting to cool the aircraft.”
“Valve connection completed. Starting to extract oxidizer and fuel.”
“Starting to transfer Second Stage Rocket (Station) Unit 4 from the hangar.”
The returned Booby One immediately undergoes various inspections for reuse. If there are no abnormalities, it will be loaded with the Second Stage Rocket (Station) and will fly into space again in about 4 hours.
“Ma’am. The check sequence is progressing normally. No significant problems have been found.”
“Roger. Then, let’s try the next one.”
“Yes, Ma’am. Starting the launch sequence for Booby One Units 2 and 3.”
Unit 1 was launched alone as a precaution.
As a result, there were no problems, and the Second Stage Rocket (Station) was sent into orbit.
“Roger. Start injecting oxidizer and fuel into Booby One Units 2 and 3.”
“Executing final check processing for each part of the launch sequence.”
In this way, by the evening of this day, ＜The Tree＞ had inserted six Second Stage Rockets (Stations) into orbit.
All 10 released satellites successfully approached their planned orbits.
The Second Stage Rockets (Stations) themselves were currently in their respective orbits, making adjustments to each part. After this, they were scheduled to repeat docking into three station groups while changing orbits.
Commander (Eve) and the Five Sisters successfully completed the major task of putting the satellites into orbit and drifted off into dreamland.
Asahi, the youngest sister, was staying up late at the Telek Port City base.