Chapter 1345

In the dark, the launch site of Vandenberg Air Force Base was ablaze with lights.

Hundreds of meters away, you can see the launch site in an observation hall. Just like last year, there are still many guests in attendance this time. Except for Simon and SpaceX team, the difference is that this time it is mainly potential customer representatives including NASA.

Gwen schotteville, who once took charge of SpaceX and was also in charge of the new company by Simone, is a very capable manager. The Merlin engine was tested last year. Before the launch of falcon-1, in addition to the last $1 billion engine contract, shotville also successfully signed 27 commercial launch contracts with many potential customers, including NASA.

Only if Falcon one succeeds.

However, frankly speaking, we don't have great expectations for the first launch of falcon-1. In history, whether a rocket can be successfully launched for the first time, there are, but few, more tests, and finally mature.

Simon happened to talk about it when he was chatting with shotville before the launch.

Simon hopes the first launch will fail.

This is not affectation.

The achievements of SpaceX team in the past few years are highly recognized by Simon. However, for the high-end aerospace industry, only through failure can we learn lessons and accumulate experience. Moreover, because of the high cost of Aerospace Engineering, even if it is not to spend our own money, a failure is enough to make SpaceX engineers deeply understand for several years.

Gwen schotteville was very dissatisfied with his boss's cold water before the rocket launch, and said another thing.

It's also a private Rocket Company in the United States.

Founded in 1982, orbital science company set foot in rocket launching business in 1987. In three years, it developed its first operational rocket, Pegasus. It was launched in 1990 with one success.

Gwen schotteville firmly believes that his team is better than orbital science.

Simon heard it with a little emotion.

Spending your own money is different from spending the country's money.

I asked a few more questions about the current situation of orbital science, and then I stopped paying attention to it.

Orbital science company is now basically incorporated by NASA, and its rocket launch cost is not much lower than that of the mainstream. In addition, due to its body weight, orbital science company is not very competitive, so it can only carry out some small commercial launches.

Because Simon set the direction for SpaceX ahead of time, the Falcon series rockets cost enough to beat all the current mainstream launch vehicles, which is the incomparable advantage of all other space launch companies.

When the mechanical and clear countdown sound sounded in the observation hall, Simon stopped the discussion with shortville, looked at the glass window, and finally couldn't help asking the female high pipe beside him: "Gwen, we're sitting here. If the rocket exploded directly, wouldn't it be dangerous?"

It turned out to be a pair of white eyes.

"... five, four, three, two, one, fire!"

The bright firelight accompanied by smoke and the ensuing roar, falcon-1 on the launch site seemed to rise slowly, gradually accelerated, and soon disappeared in Simon's field of vision with a long trail. Some guests could not help coming to the glass window to continue to look. Simon sat still, but turned to a projection screen hanging on the wall of the observation hall.

Above is a picture of the falcon-1 rocket with its own camera.

The resolution is not high, but it is enough to roughly judge the flight state of the rocket whether it is an expert or a layman.

Even though just chatting with shotville, Simon said that he hoped the first launch would fail, but when it really came to an end, the heartstrings could not help being a little tense, and the mood was a little tangled. Occasionally glanced at the side of the eye, today's meticulously dressed female executives have unconsciously clenched their fists.

While waiting, the picture on the projector vibrated.

Simon glanced at the time shown in the lower right corner of the big screen, 3 minutes 27 seconds.

A voice came from the hall.

"First stage rocket separation."

At this time, everyone looked at the projection screen, and when the intermittent picture became clear again, spontaneous applause broke out in the hall.

Simon raised his hand and clapped.

It is generally known that the separation of the first stage and the second stage of the rocket is the most vulnerable stage. The first stage of the rocket is separated, the second stage of the rocket is ignited successfully, and then the problem of entering orbit.

Time goes on, minute by minute.

Eight minutes later, the outline of the earth began to appear on the projection screen. At the scene of the observation hall, everyone held his breath.

Eight minutes and 27 seconds, the secondary engine stalled.

Then, the star and arrow separated.

Of course, the rocket does not carry a satellite, but is a model of Tinkerbell's ibery-10 ultra mobile phone. However, it is not a simple plastic model. Instead, it has the functions of communication and photography. Once it is officially put into orbit, it can return pictures for publicity.

Eight minutes and 35 seconds.

It seems that after a short pause, another voice came from the hall. The female voice, which had been quiet before, was obviously a little high spirited: "falcon-1 rocket was successfully launched, and the target was officially in orbit."

"Yes

Simon hasn't responded yet. Gwen schotteville beside him has already made an excited voice. His little fist, which has been on his knee, is still raised, falls suddenly, and falls obliquely on Simon's knee.

It was obviously intentional.

Before Simon had time to protest, shotville had come over and hugged his boss. Then he jumped up and jumped at anyone.

The hall was also filled with cheers.

Simon also saw two big men holding each other and crying with joy.

At the same time, the sound of champagne opened and the foam flew directly into Simon's neck.

Well, it's obviously intentional.

Simon didn't turn to look for the culprit, but looked at a girl who was still sitting with her boss: "otherwise, let's have a hug."

Girl a smiles and sticks it. It's fragrant and soft. It's much better than a girl who just played with rockets.

Just feeling it, Simon's cell phone remembered.

Girl c is calling from San Francisco.

News has been received over there, and the ibery model has sent back the first stop photo. C girl said that she has launched the customized ibery mobile phone in Simon's hand. Meanwhile, dinkober has begun to prepare the press release, taking this opportunity to further promote the ibery series.

I just hung up on girl c, and Janet's call came in from Los Angeles.

Women are very clear about Simon's intention to do these things, so they also attach great importance to SpaceX's first launch. Just like the C girl, if she didn't have all kinds of things on hand, she would definitely come here today.

After several phone calls, Simon took girl a to her feet and joined the celebrations around her. It was not until one o'clock in the morning that Simon's helicopter left Vandenberg Air Force base and returned to Los Angeles.

Early the next morning, the mainstream media were full of news about the successful launch of falcon-1.

Simon was not interested in such a high-profile publicity, but now that he has achieved success in one go, the lively publicity can be regarded as an honor to the SpaceX team. Of course, there are also marketing requirements. After all, it is a commercial company.

However, this time, it's not as good as it used to be, publicizing the first privately funded rocket.

Musk used to work alone, but the new SpaceX, the new Falcon one, has a lot of cooperation.

Simon, of course, will not belittle himself because the strategy he formulated at the beginning is not independent research and development, but integration. He tries to integrate the technological achievements that countries in the world have invested hundreds of billions of dollars in research and development in the past decades, which is also a kind of resource saving. In order to achieve this goal, Simon even uses various gray means.

The next step of R & D is to complete the integration.

Now, even if SpaceX's first rocket is successfully launched, there is still a long way to go from the integration stage required by Simon. Simon thinks that the real completion of the integration stage should at least end with another moon landing.

Therefore, in the hot media discussion, the next day's SpaceX high-level meeting, while giving affirmation, Simon's request is to make persistent efforts.

The success of the first launch is enough to prove the stability of falcon-1. The next step is the development of recoverable rockets and heavy rockets.

The latter is more important to Simon.

Because we need to move on and on, not stop and make money.

However, Simon was not stingy at all.

Last year, Merlin 1 passed the test and won a huge order. Simon gave a one-time bonus of $15 million. This time, the same huge check of $15 million was thrown down.

What's more, Simon has launched another plan to significantly increase the salaries of SpaceX employees.

Previously, SpaceX's salary was not high, only 20% or 30% higher than the average salary of other organizations in the industry. This time, Simon directly set the starting salary of SpaceX at $100000.

Just in 1997, the average annual income of Americans was $27000, and the more accurate median income was only $19000, far less than many people who yearn for the United States as a paradise think.

Simon set the annual salary of SpaceX at $100000, which is equivalent to that of most senior executives in the United States. Moreover, there is no shortage of bonuses and equity awards owned by senior executives.

What's more, the key is starting salary.

It means that as long as you can successfully enter SpaceX, the most junior employees can get an annual salary of $100000.

After the successful launch of falcon-1, Gwen schotteville took advantage of the popularity of the media this time and released the recruitment inspiration to the whole world through his Facebook page. As for the old employees who have been working in SpaceX for several years, after this big promotion, their annual salary is generally higher, with 150000 or even 200000 US dollars.

It's not Simon's whim.

If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it. It's a simple truth.

Simon has been thinking about it for a long time.

If 3G plan wants to succeed, you can talk about ideals with others, but if you only talk about ideals, it's playing hooligans.

Money is the most reliable thing to talk about.

Ten or twenty years later, there is a common phenomenon in both the East and the West. The most top talents and the most intelligent minds either rush into the financial circle represented by Wall Street and develop all kinds of financial products and leeks that make ordinary people dizzy. Or they rush to fanng and other top Internet companies in the world to study not the future, but how to put in ads more accurately, how to squeeze takeout staff to the limit, and so on.

As a result, few people are interested in the various basic sciences that are crucial to human development.

At the end of the day, it's about money.

Because the financial circle and network circle make more money, they will naturally attract more elites.

As for basic mathematics, physics, chemistry and other fields, even if the Nobel prize level is achieved, the Nobel Prize is only a fraction of the year-end prize of the top management of some financial technology companies.

Naturally, no one will do it.

Simon is an elitist who believes that human progress is the result of the guidance of a few top elites.

However, a few of the top scientists here, who are about to enter the 21st century, are no longer the kind of top scientists who were at the Solvay conference at the beginning of this century. A group of top scientists in a picture almost changed the future of mankind.

In the new era, the research in various basic fields is a huge project, such as the sequencing of human genome, the construction of particle collider which is tens of kilometers long. All these require not only the guidance of the most innovative elites like Einstein and Madame Curie, but also the participation of a large number of relatively ordinary elites.

Compared with ordinary elites, they may have more brains than ordinary people, but they are also human after all.

Simon can't expect these people to cut off their passions and desires to pursue the lofty ideals of mankind. Since they can't talk about ideals, talking about money is of course the most reliable thing.

So SpaceX's pay rise is just the beginning.

Next, Simon will adopt a high-tech strategy in all aspects of the 3G plan, with $100000, which may be a lifelong goal for most wage earners, but as long as they can enter the 3G plan sequence of westero system, this will only be the beginning.

One million, 10 million, even 100 million dollars.

Simon will not be stingy as long as he has the corresponding value.

The successful launch of falcon-1 on April 16 caused a full week of media uproar. SpaceX also released the launch video of the rocket on YouTube the next day. At the same time, the ibery-10 ultra mobile phone sent into space by falcon-1 has once again become the focus of media hot discussion.

A launch of just $6 million will have a marketing effect no less than $60 million for tincobail's ibery series.

Dinkbaier decided to pay a sum of money from SpaceX team and directly ordered the marketing bundle for the next launch. Of course, it will not launch the mobile phone model. However, dinkbaier will provide some technical support in details, such as the falcon-1 portable camera, which is actually from dinkbaier's laboratory. It will certainly cooperate next time.

Simon doesn't care about tincobail. SpaceX, with the successful launch of falcon-1, the $15 million bid, even though the cost of tincobail is coal mining, has attracted a large number of cooperation applications.

Simon had to suppress it.

Again, the core goal of SpaceX is to move forward and then move forward, rather than stop and make money.