Chapter 193: The Americans Return to Space, I’ll Take a
Flight (Part 1)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Tang Rui piloted the White Emperor Space Combat Jet, activated the SEG unit, and slowly ascended into the sky.
He didn’t employ any special maneuvers.
Instead, he ascended steadily and at a measured pace.
With the SEG unit countering Earth’s gravity, even a slower acceleration was of no concern.
Following the trajectory calculated by Red Lotus, Tang Rui piloted the jet past the Karman line, entering outer space.
At this juncture, he increased the jet’s speed slightly.
Still, he had to continue ascending towards the higher layers.
This wasn’t a reconnaissance or remote-sensing satellite that needed to be close to Earth.
Nor could it be too far away.
According to Red Lotus’s calculations, placing armed satellites in Earth’s middle orbit would pose the most threat.
This orbit was approximately 3000 kilometers above the surface, over 2000 kilometers higher than the space station.
It seemed a vast distance.
In reality, it was relatively close.
High-orbit satellites orbited above 20,000 kilometers, and geostationary satellites sat at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers.
Upon reaching the altitude of 3000 kilometers, Tang Rui pressed the disassembly button.
The large container affixed to the back of the White Emperor Space Combat Jet automatically detached. After releasing some mist, it stabilized in position.
Tang Rui maneuvered the jet slightly to one side.
The container opened down the middle, revealing the armed satellite, though it was not yet equipped with solar sails.
The satellite’s Hall-effect thrusters came to life.
It oriented itself upright.
At this moment, the mechanical arm within the container unfolded and attached poles onto the satellite.
Next, it unfurled a rolled-up flexible solar sail and fixed it onto the poles.
Thanks to graphene materials, there was no need for rigid panels; the solar sails were made from flexible materials instead.
After the mechanical arm completed installing all the frameworks and solar sails, the armed satellite’s electric thrusters fired, easing it into its orbit.
The special container closed back up and reattached to the White Emperor.
All these actions were orchestrated by Red Lotus.
Tang Rui didn’t need to intervene.
He observed the armed satellite as it deployed its solar sail.
In the expanse of space, a 6200-square-meter solar sail was insignificant, especially when spread out.
Once the sails were fully deployed, the adjustable stand began to pivot.
It aimed to both receive and convert solar energy while also considering the satellite’s flight angle and the impact of solar wind.
After the adjustments were complete, the armed satellite was successfully operational.
Through Tang Rui’s interface, all the satellite’s parameters were displayed clearly.
“Master, all systems of the armed satellite are functioning normally,” Red Lotus’s voice informed Tang Rui through his earpiece.
“Yes, I see that,” Tang Rui replied, looking over the data on his control panel.
[Item: Directional Energy Armed Satellite]
[Experience: 8/3500]
[Origin: 164.5.63]
Having finished constructing the armed satellite, Tang Rui chose not to use origin points for an immediate upgrade. He preferred to wait for the satellite to level up naturally before considering the use of origin points.
Given the current rate of experience point accumulation, it would be full by the next day.
However, Tang Rui wasn’t in a hurry to level it up. A single level advancement was trivial.
If he was to upgrade, he aimed to elevate the armed satellite to level 4 in one fell swoop.
After the system’s optimization and reinforcement, he could then deploy the skill.
The second generation of armed satellites would be ready for direct application.
Having orbited the Earth a few times alongside the armed satellite, Tang Rui then returned to the surface.
At that moment, nations around the world were monitoring this colossal satellite.
From the exterior, nothing much could be discerned.
Even the laser firing ports were concealed.
From a mere external inspection, it was impossible to determine the satellite’s type.
However, what surprised the various nations even more than the satellite itself was the capability of the White Emperor Space Combat Jet to transport such a sizable satellite directly into Earth’s middle orbit.
What did this imply?
It meant that the White Emperor could potentially deliver a similarly sized nuclear warhead and deploy it directly from space.
Considering this, nations scrambled to convene emergency meetings.
They had no choice; the implications were too daunting.
A spaceplane alone was one thing—after all, the Americans also possessed a vehicle capable of extended space flight.
But the capacity to transport such massive objects was entirely different; the threat was immense.
Unaware of the international consternation his actions had stirred, Tang Rui re-entered the atmosphere to find a message waiting for him.
He was instructed not to head straight back to the company.
First, he needed to visit the Space Command Center.
After receiving the directive, Tang Rui rerouted the controls and set course for the aerospace command center.
Upon his arrival at the Jiuquan Space Command Center, Tang Rui was greeted by Professor Yu and several other scholars involved in the lunar networking project.
“You’ve worked quickly. In such a short time, you’ve already constructed an armed satellite,” Professor Yu remarked with a mix of surprise and admiration after introducing the academicians to Tang Rui.
How much time had passed?
Forget launching satellites—most research projects were still in their infancy.
Yet here, Tang Rui had not only completed the armed satellite but also placed it in orbit around Earth.
Despite the higher-ups’ modest expectations for this verification project, completing it in under half a month was nothing short of remarkable..