The Chaebol Who Flies From Space - Chapter 76



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The Tycoon Who Flies Into Space Episode 76

Episode 76: Communication Satellite (1)

It took more than half a day to assemble all the parts and install the latest active repeater made by Benerick.

After fueling up, the solar panels became an eyesore. The panels were less than 20% efficient, not providing enough power to the satellite.

I was about to touch this, but held back.

“It looks like the work is almost finished.”

[The spare satellites being put into orbit this time will have a lifespan of at least 20 years.]

“We also need to prepare the satellites that will be launched later in advance. In particular, we need to seriously consider increasing the efficiency of solar panels.”

[Solar panels have enough market potential to warrant a separate company. As oil prices rise, they will be spotlighted as the most powerful alternative energy source.]

“If oil prices go above $100 a barrel, as you say, there will be chaos as people look for alternative energy sources.”

After flying all the way to Georgia and staying in a warehouse for three days, the satellite was finally modified.

[Instead of Anton, who was recently fired, I recommend Raoul Melin of Harbers as a satellite design engineer.]

Ariel, who had finished her character search, recommended people for me to scout.

Anton Inverse isn’t a bad engineer either.

His career wasn’t bad, but he just got sidetracked at the wrong time and got screwed by me.

I’m the kind of person who can’t stand to see someone slacking off at work.

“The satellites that will be added additionally should be designed as multipurpose satellites from the beginning. Even if we modify communication satellites like we are doing now, there are inherent limitations.”

[If that happens, it will be very heavy. The launch cost will go up.]

“Even if I go up, I can’t do it.”

Spacecraft launched from NASA have limited cargo capacity and are charged by weight.

It seemed likely that the rates would at least double from what they are now, but it was a problem that had to be overcome.

[If the original purpose is met, the spare satellites being uploaded now will be more than enough to handle it.]

“In addition to monitoring important crop fields and exploring for resources, there are also military purposes.”

[If it’s for military purposes, where are you saying you’re monitoring?]

“What do I need to say? It’s China and North Korea. We can’t trust the Americans here either, so we can’t let our guard down.”

[They say they are monitoring the entire world.]

“You call that a lie? Of course, the entire world is under surveillance. Tensions have eased now, but in the past, we were terrified because we didn’t know when a nuclear war would break out. We can only feel at ease if we can intercept ballistic missiles.”

[Before, you said it didn’t matter whether the Earth was destroyed or not.]

“I’m going to get married and have children, but wouldn’t it be a problem if the Earth were to perish? It’s not like I can leave here before I die of old age.”

[In order to reduce the risk, you need to consider many things. The more equipment you have to prepare for war risks or natural disasters, the better.]

It is questionable why the exact process of Earth’s destruction was not revealed, but in any case, it is a given that something enormous will happen on Earth in 2115.

That means something pretty dire is happening, since humanity has dwindled to the point where we’re worried about extinction.

“President Jeong Yong-in did a thorough cleaning?”

WD Shipbuilding was enjoying tremendous prosperity.

The order volume for bulk carriers and container ships also exceeded 3 billion dollars, and special-purpose ships such as drill ships and FPSOs also showed unparalleled technological advancements.

Sales, which were only 3 trillion won before the acquisition, exceeded 7 trillion won.

Even while operating at full capacity, they did not neglect the task of cleaning up the accumulated corruption.

[Yes, 29 people were fired after being caught embezzling large amounts of money through internal audits, and 5 people were criminally charged.]

“He took care of it before I could do anything. He has a long career in the shipbuilding industry, so he knows a lot about the industry and it’s better than I expected.”

[It is hard to find talents like that in Joseon management. We have signed contracts for 5 large buildings in Gangnam with Toad F&B and have also completed the sale of buildings in major provincial cities. We signed the contracts under the name of HCRE.]

HCRE is a real estate company I founded in LA.

“Then I guess I should just put the green bottles I just acquired in there. How many are there in total?”

[We purchased 8 buildings in Seoul and 12 in the provinces.]

“When spring comes, I really need to go back to Korea and get my business organized.”

[Urgent stuff here. While the Master was here remodeling the satellite, President Edward was running around a lot. Ultra’s launch preparations are almost finished.]

“Would energy drinks sell well in the winter?”

[Unlike sports drinks, whose sales spike in the summer, this product is sold all year round. It’s not like it doesn’t sell well in the winter.]

“This time, honestly, I don’t know either.”

I was not confident because I couldn’t achieve the taste I wanted.

[Are you talking weakly like a master? What if you fail? The market size is just a booger.]

It was an artificial intelligence that only made sounds that were draining rather than providing strength.

As I came out of the warehouse, I heard a call and President Milton came running.

“Aren’t you busy?”

“This is the most urgent matter. Is the satellite modification work finished now?”

“Roughly speaking. We finish by checking and confirming that there are no abnormalities.”

Even though we had already confirmed that there were no abnormalities, we still had to go through the inspection process according to the company’s manual.

After I cut Anton, the loose atmosphere in the company became much more tense.

Although Boeing was the largest shareholder, the company was run like an ownerless company.

“Do you have enough testing equipment?”

“I was preparing in advance.”

“Let’s get started quickly.”

The engineers who had been waiting came in with their inspection equipment and inspected the satellite I had modified.

The satellite design drawings have already been distributed within the company.

“The repeater works without any problems.”

“The position controller is also normal.

“The solar panels are normal.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

We endlessly tested each and every component to ensure they were working properly.

Finally, all functional checks were completed after verifying that the satellite was operating normally in cryogenic conditions.

“Everything is working normally. Thank you for your hard work. On paper, it says that performance has improved by 1.5 times.”

“You can achieve that level just by replacing the parts with the latest models. When you actually operate it, you’ll probably get better performance than what’s on paper.”

It was rare to see a major shareholder who had acquired a company step forward and build a satellite without the help of other engineers.

“How long can we put this in space?”

“The launch of the Columbia space shuttle is scheduled for early next year.”

“There’s not much time left?”

“If we sign a contract with NASA, they will deliver it to the orbit you want. We have to hurry up and sign the contract. The amount of items they want to put into space has been increasing recently.”

“Most of them are satellites, right?”

“There are satellites and a lot of items that need to be delivered to the space station.”

The shuttle’s primary mission was to deliver supplies to those staying on the space station for long periods of time.

The business of launching artificial satellites was, after all, a side business for NASA.

I made an appointment for the contract. I visited the space center earlier than the scheduled appointment.

It was to personally check the status of the space shuttle before launch. I applied for a shuttle tour as an engineer for Iridium Communications without revealing my real identity.

The space shuttle is not usually open to outsiders, but the position of being in charge of the Iridium Communications satellite that will be launched in the future appealed to me. I accepted the condition that I would not approach the orbiter too closely and would only view it from afar, and went on the tour.

I went to the place where the orbiter was stored with a guide and saw for myself that the condition of the fuselage was not very good.

When the guide got a phone call and left the room for a moment, I asked Ariel.

“Will that actually launch properly? It looks like it’ll explode when launched. I think the fatigue accumulated in the fuselage will cause the external tiles to break if it receives an impact.”

That was the thought that came to my mind the moment I saw the Space Shuttle. The current launch method, in which the orbiter is suspended from a large external tank and two solid rocket boosters, rises to a certain altitude, and then separates, is too dangerous.

[It is a simple and primitive aircraft that has successfully completed 28 space flights.]

“You’ve been lucky so far. If that thing is going to explode, it’s going to explode sooner or later. If it’s going to enter the atmosphere that far, we’ll have to make new tiles and put them up.”

[I did repair the broken tiles, but it still looks a bit inadequate. As the space budget continues to shrink, I think they’ll just let it slide until a major problem occurs.]

Looking at the orbiter gave me a very unpleasant feeling. My stomach was queasy and my spine was throbbing.

Not only is the launch method problematic, but the outer wall that makes up the hull has not been properly constructed yet.

Because there was no special steel technology that could withstand the high heat applied to the spacecraft’s hull upon entering the atmosphere, tiles were simply glued together.

That type of method is prone to damage even with a slight external impact.

I asked the guide who returned after receiving the call.

“Is that the space shuttle thermal insulation system attached to the belly section?”

“There are 20,000 sheets of black high-temperature reusable surface insulation (HRSI) attached to the underside of the shuttle. It is a high-tech product that can withstand temperatures up to 2300 degrees. The upper part is covered with white tiles that can withstand extremely low temperatures.”

They brag about it being high-tech, but to me it’s low-tech. And it’s very low-tech.

Depending on the angle of entry, the spacecraft will be exposed to temperatures of up to 25,000 degrees as it enters the atmosphere. This means that if the angle of entry into the atmosphere is wrong, the shuttle will not be able to withstand the heat and will simply explode.

“If you don’t get the angle of entry right, you’ll have problems.”

“There have been no problems so far. There is a device that automatically adjusts the angle of entry when returning from space.”

“… … .”

If we make the exterior of the hull with the heat sink of the satellite that is being launched this time, we can make a spacecraft that can withstand temperatures up to 10,000 degrees.

By stacking up to seven layers of honeycomb special steel in three layers, it is possible to create an outer hull wall that can withstand temperatures up to 25,000 degrees.

“We are planning a space flight in January next year, and we will also launch the contracted satellite at that time.”

“I hope you get there safely.”

“This time too, it will go up without any problems. There haven’t been any major accidents so far.”

If you say things like that, an accident is sure to happen.

The guide took me on a tour and continued to explain, but I still had a lingering feeling in the back of my head.

So, the plan to launch five spare satellites at once was changed and a contract was signed to send only two satellites.

At $12 million each, the total cost of putting two satellites into orbit was $24 million.

Milton returned after finishing his contract while I was on the space tour.

“How is it? Were there any major problems with the contract?”

“I wanted to see the chairman over there.”

A bitter smile came to my face.

It’s hard to find big-money customers like me at NASA. I even hid my identity when I applied for the tour.

“You know why I avoid the press.”

“You’re not going to keep avoiding it, are you?”

“Of course. It’s raining right now, so I’m taking shelter.”

“If it rains, you should take shelter.”

It was also very unusual for me to visit Space Center Houston in person, hiding my identity.

That’s how much I avoided contact with outsiders.

“The satellite is being sent here as soon as possible. We need to make sure it’s fit for purpose, but… … .”

“I know what you mean. You want to take apart the internal structure of a satellite. The latest satellite we’re bringing this time is hard to find even here.”

In any case, various organizations will stick together and conduct performance tests.