NASA.
Satellite Control Center.
A dense crowd stood before the horseshoe-shaped console. There were NASA engineers, officials from the White House and Congress, and professionals from famous North American aerospace companies such as SpaceX and Blue Space.
The atmosphere was exceptionally oppressive as countless gazes converged on a single point on the console's main screen.
Everyone watched the same spot, as though waiting for a result.
Three days earlier, Hua Nation's Auspicious had launched again carrying the core module components of the Moon Palace spacecraft, successfully breaking through the atmosphere and entering Low Earth Orbit.
The eyes of nearly every aerospace agency in the world were fixed on this spaceplane headed for Lunar Orbit.
If this launch succeeded, Hua Nation would become the first country in the world to deploy a space station in Lunar Orbit, as well as the only country proven to possess Lunar Orbit construction capabilities.
For the United States, this was clearly not good news.
If nothing unexpected happened, their Deep Space Gate Lunar Orbital Space Station would not begin launching its first component until next year. Although the success of the Ares Program had put them ahead in the Mars Colonization Plan, losing the Moon just like that would indeed be more trouble than it was worth.
Starting three days ago, NASA's lunar observation satellites had kept their cameras firmly trained on the exit of the Earth-Moon Transfer Orbit, waiting for the spacecraft that had long since left synchronous orbit to reappear in view.
If nothing unexpected happened, today should have been the day Auspicious arrived in Lunar Orbit...
Director Carson stood there for a long time, his gaze fixed gloomily on the main screen. With his hands clasped behind his back, he finally glanced impatiently at his watch and spoke.
"Has it not appeared