A few days later, at the space launch site in southern Dragon Kingdom.
Ban Jianguo had just entered the command hall when he heard the veteran engineer from the Orbital Factory urging them over the communications line.
"We're down to the last batch of raw materials. If today's supplies don't arrive, we'll have to suspend processing."
"They're here."
Ban Jianguo looked at the screen.
On the launch platform, a gray-white spacecraft stood between its support structures. Its broad belly housed the cargo bay, its short wings allowed it to glide in for landing upon return, and its underside was covered in dark thermal protection material.
This was Dragon Kingdom's first psionic cargo spacecraft ready for a full orbital round trip. For this unmanned flight, its cargo bay held two tons of raw materials and factory energy-storage modules fully charged with psionic energy.
Several ground crew members were withdrawing as the power lines detached from the spacecraft's hull, their connectors sealing automatically.
The onboard energy-storage systems had already been fully charged using ground facilities.
Another achievement from the past three months of Jiangnan Research Institute and the aerospace system had finally left the test hangar.
The researchers had learned the principles from Titan Kin knowledge and redesigned the engines using materials already available on Blue Star. The factories completed the circuits, the test grounds conducted repeated ignition trials, and the spacecraft underwent multiple atmospheric flights and recoveries.
Only today did it begin its complete orbital round trip.
The chief engineer stood beside Ban Jianguo, the hair at his temples disheveled from his headset, his eyes never leaving the spacecraft.
"The whole ship takes off, and the whole ship comes back. Raw materials go up, empty containers come down."
He moistened his dry lips.
"If this succeeds, we'll have a new way