Chapter 935: Future Direction
Leased ports?
Jiang Chen was slightly surprised by Musk's proposal.
In the discussion on the space elevator profit plan within the Star Ring Trade, there are indeed pre-selected plans for the Star Ring City port leasing and berth leasing.
After all, the size of a person's market is limited after all. Instead of enjoying a piece of cake all by itself, it would be better to unite all the owners to make the cake bigger, and then cut the cake with the knife. Only when everyone joins in this huge market can the benefits of Star Ring Trade be maximized. At the same time, many unnecessary disputes can be avoided.
Imagine that the development of outer space resources in the whole world has to go through the space elevator in Xinguo. Freighters from all countries will travel to and from the sea base station under the space elevator. All resources from outer space have to be exported to markets around the world through the ports of the new country. What does this mean for the economy, currency, and international status of the new country?
compete? Of course there will be.
But if relying on a century-leading technology, they can't compete with SpaceX, Planetary Resources, Deep Space Industries and the like, all the employees of Star Ring Trade might as well find a piece of tofu and kill them!
But what surprised Jiang Chen was that, not to mention the ports and berths, the space elevator has just been completed, and even Xinghuan City is just a prototype. Before the United Nations Outer Space Development Summit was held, Musk had already considered going so far away, which really surprised Jiang Chen.
"How? Interested?" Musk asked in a serious tone.
"Very interested... Or rather, I was surprised." Jiang Chen said with a strange expression.
"Oh? I don't know where I offended—"
"No, you misunderstood." Jiang Chen shook his head, moved the holographic communication window from the left to the right with his fingers, and continued, "We do have the intention of leasing the port, but the relevant plans are still in the In the written document. We can’t give you an answer yet, but since you raised it, we will contact you as soon as possible after the United Nations Outer Space Summit is over and we have worked out a reasonable cooperation plan.”
With a look of joy on his face, Musk said happily.
"Then please!"
"Is there anything else?" Jiang Chen asked.
"Of course, there is one more thing," Musk smiled, "We were originally scheduled to launch the Falcon 9 rocket in early February, carrying 450 kilograms of supplies to the International Space Station to complete the supplies.
But now it seems that there is no need for us to waste 60 million dollars? "
"You plan to outsource the NASA project to us?" Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows and asked with interest.
With a snap of the fingers on the other end of the phone, Musk replied.
"exactly."
...
There is a difference in the cost of upward transportation and downward transportation. According to the different types of goods, there will also be certain differences in the carriages used and acceleration schemes, and the quotations will naturally be different. But in any case, the transportation cost of a space elevator is definitely lower than that of a rocket.
The standard quotation for Falcon 9 is 60 million US dollars. Even if the successful recovery of the first-stage rocket can save 80% of the launch cost (the probability of success is not high), it is as much as 12 million US dollars. Compared with 450 kilograms of goods, the transportation cost per kilogram of materials is also as high as 26,000 US dollars.
The price quoted by the Starlink Trade is that, together with the Dragon spacecraft and the 450 kilograms of supplies it carries, it will be sent to the synchronous orbit, and the total charge will only be SGD 2 million. Converted to U.S. dollars based on the current exchange rate, that’s just over $2.15 million.
According to the U.S. subsidy policy for the aerospace industry, NASA paid about $61 million to spaceX. If it is outsourced to Star Ring Trading, it will be almost sixty times the profit!
And there is no need to gamble on the probability of recovering the first-stage rocket!
Such a terrifying profit is enough to drive any capitalist crazy.
Musk made such a decision even though outsourcing the subsidized project abroad may cause dissatisfaction with the federal government. As for how to calm NASA's anger, he has already thought of enough rhetoric.
In addition, Jiang Chen also threw out a very tempting proposal. If the entire resupply work is outsourced to Halo Trading and the launch of the Dragon spacecraft weighing about 8 tons is omitted, the quotation from Halo Trading will be reduced to hundreds of thousands of Singapore dollars. However, Musk did not completely lose his mind, and declined Jiang Chen's "good intentions".
After hanging up the phone, Musk immediately looked at his assistant.
"The launch plan in February will be canceled immediately, and the Falcon rocket-related technology will be packaged and sold, as far as possible before the United Nations Outer Space Summit this week. I will go to the launch center in person in a while, and the arrangements for the afternoon will be rejected for me. "
A look of surprise appeared on the assistant's face.
"But... this is an order from NASA, and our Falcon rocket engine has been produced."
"Apart from the rocket engine, have other components started to be produced?" Stopped walking towards the door, Musk turned his head and asked seriously.
"Wait a minute..." the assistant stretched out his hand to the stack of documents on his desk, found the one he was looking for, and quickly found the item about the production progress report, "It hasn't started yet— —”
"Immediately cancel. By the way, I will sell the rocket engine that has already been produced. The research and development of the Falcon 10 rocket will also be terminated immediately, and the extra budget will be allocated to the third-generation Dragon spacecraft."
"But why?" the assistant couldn't help asking.
For the Falcon 10 rocket, he thinks that he may be the person who knows best how much effort the chairman has devoted to it, except for Musk. He really couldn't believe that after this phone call, Musk, who single-handedly promoted the Falcon 10 rocket research and development project, ended this great project so lightly.
"Because it's outdated," Musk said without hesitation.
He was also full of unwillingness to make such a decision, but he knew very well that even half a minute ago, he made the most calm and wise choice in his life.
The birth of the space elevator marks the complete decline of traditional rocket spaceflight, just as tanks will eventually make out cavalry. Even if it continues to spend a lot of money to make the Falcon 10 rocket, it is just a dying struggle before dusk. Expensive costs are not competitive with space elevators at all!
Rely on subsidies?
God, America is a capitalist country!
Subsidies alone can't last a lifetime! There will come a day when Congress' budget committees will lose their patience.
Looking at the struggling expression on the face of the assistant who has worked for him for many years, Musk took a deep breath and spoke slowly.
"My dear Mr. Besmore, my friend. You should understand me, understand me at this moment, and my heart is definitely not as easy as I appear on the surface. Giving up the Falcon series of rockets does not mean giving up everything, but doing Making such a choice... I should be the most uncomfortable person in the whole company. But reason tells me that I have to do this."
"It's only a matter of time before rockets going from the atmosphere to outer space are eliminated. The Falcon series has completed its historical mission, and we will learn from it, as well as technology, and then close its coffin with a solemn expression. I know this is very important. It won't be easy...but if we don't want this series to be our swan song, then we have to move forward with the tide of history."
"Stronger, bigger, faster, spaceships that can come and go freely in the universe, that is our future!" (To be continued.) Launch a new website