The engine was an amateur

Fifty minutes after launch.

The rocket's upper-stage assembly completed its self-check.

Gao Jian had watched the entire process clearly. The spacecraft had indeed not completed an orbit around Earth, but it had traced a half-turn arc toward the Atlantic, with the launch site as its center and the Gulf of Mexico as its radius.

Considering how wildly this lunar mission had already diverged from what he had imagined, Gao Jian did not rashly pry open the hatch and enter the command module. Instead, he used the Turtle Breath Technique to withstand the vacuum and remained pressed against the spacecraft's surface.

Whenever he could no longer hold his breath, he stuffed his head into his Storage Bag and took a couple of deep breaths.

The Storage Bag contained plenty of northwest wind-literal northwest wind.

Rather than squeeze into the cramped command module with four astronauts, he might as well stay outside and see whether the spacecraft headed for the Moon. If it really did, he could wait until the translunar injection burn before deciding what to do.

If all else failed, he would jump off and make a rapid descent. A fall of 160 kilometers might not kill him.

They had a Long March 10 back home, too. If he brought all this information back and they urgently revised its lunar mission plan, landing on the Moon in two years might still be possible.

Just then, the commander's excited voice came from inside the cabin:

"Houston is about to issue the command for the perigee-raising burn. Everyone, get ready."

Gao Jian tensed and immediately hugged the rocket tighter.

The perigee-raising burn would last two minutes, primarily adjusting their angle and slightly increasing the spacecraft's altitude.

Afterward, the EUS would begin a sustained eighteen-minute burn, setting the spacecraft on its long dash toward the Moon and increasing its speed from 7,800 m/s to 10,900 m/s. Once the lunar acceleration burn was complete, the spacecraft could coast steadily toward lunar orbit.

Sure enough, before long, the EUS began its short-pulse firing.

The EUS's four RL-10 main engines fired at low power and high frequency, slightly raising the orbit, correcting the perigee, and truly aiming the spacecraft toward the Moon. Gao Jian's heart gave a small flutter.

Next would come the real sustained, full-power burn.

Once they went, there would be no turning back.

If the rocket lost control and veered off course, or became stranded in lunar orbit, Gao Jian could not survive alone in space indefinitely.

Full of anticipation, he waited outside the command module for a while, but the sustained burn never came.

Huh?

Why haven't they fired yet?

Just as Gao Jian was about to inspect the rocket, all four main RL-10 Engines suddenly let out a thunderous roar. The violent vibrations made him immediately tighten his grip on the command module.

Even the astronauts inside the spacecraft could not help getting excited.

He held on for a while, but where was the thrust?

Gao Jian looked down and saw no exhaust plume whatsoever.

What's wrong with this EUS system? All noise and no movement?

No propellant exhaust meant the rocket had no capacity to accelerate into deep space. Although it was now more than two hundred kilometers above the ground, it still encountered thin atmospheric drag and remained under the pull of Earth's gravity.

If it stayed there long enough, its velocity would eventually drop below orbital velocity, meaning the rocket would spiral through a prolonged descent into the atmosphere.

The escape tower had been discarded, the fairing jettisoned, and the first-stage core thrown away. All that remained of the rocket was the EUS core stage and the Orion spacecraft, vibrating violently, all alone in space.

Ten minutes later, Gao Jian completed a thorough inspection with his Divine Sense. His face was flushed.

What do you mean, the EUS core-stage engines have a high-speed rotating drum installed to simulate violent vibrations?

Why install that thing?

Ignite! Why won't the engines ignite? Why pretend to ignite? You swine, you gray-bearded old bastard. NASA's chief designer, you fucking belong in hell.

On the ground, at the launch control center at Kennedy Space Center.

Nearly an hour had passed since liftoff.

From the viewing stands, the rocket had long since risen above the Kármán line and disappeared from naked-eye view. Only the enormous cloud of water vapor from the launch still hung loosely in the sky, slowly stretching and fading in the wind.

The crowd had begun to disperse.

Photography enthusiasts started reviewing their pictures, and many spectators were still caught up in the earlier excitement. The professionals and media, however, continued watching the live broadcast screens, which showed simulated orbital telemetry and a 3D animation of the translunar injection burn.

Although it was only an animation, it still let them imagine the magnificent sight in low Earth orbit.

In the animation on the large screen, the four RL-10 Engines on the EUS Exploration Upper Stage were burning at full power, providing propellant-driven thrust for eighteen minutes and forty-five seconds until the spacecraft reached 10.9 km/s. This was its orbital velocity relative to Earth's center of mass. After engine cutoff, no further acceleration would be needed; the spacecraft could follow a free ballistic trajectory toward the Moon.

A tiny number of hardcore enthusiasts at the site were holding up high-magnification optical telescopes, trying to spot the point of light in the sky. The rocket's absolute magnitude was currently between 12 and 13.5, and with daylight and darkness meeting, it could be seen through an optical telescope.

For some reason, however, they still could not find the target.

Before they could finish adjusting their telescopes, NASA staff forcibly expelled these hardcore enthusiasts from the venue, citing safety risks.

As for the VIP section of the viewing stands... the person behind the screen had long since left. Only a little gray paper ash remained, which several SpaceX employees were carefully gathering with shovels and pouring into clear sealable plastic bags.

Live broadcasts around the world had mostly switched from actual footage to pure CGI with commentary. After all, humanity had no way to make a camera fly alongside the rocket. Once the afterglow of liftoff's climax had faded, most online discussion remained steeped in awe at the United States' impending return to the Moon.

The lingering might of an old imperialist power.

Somewhere, in a government agency's large multipurpose auditorium.

The veteran space professionals at CNAS were naturally watching NASA TV's live broadcast closely. By now, most had fallen silent.

To put it bluntly, many people there had secretly hoped the SLS Block 1B would suffer some minor malfunction. Nothing too disastrous-just a small problem, like insufficient fuel or a fairing that would not open. Ideally, something that would make it circle the Earth once and come straight back down.

But nothing happened.

Why couldn't anything happen? Sigh.

"...The Americans are still the Americans." After a long silence, a deputy director from systems engineering let out a deep sigh.

Director Dan of CNSA took a sip of water and said calmly, "This is good. We should objectively acknowledge the maturity and payload advantages of the SLS, Orion, and Starship HLS architecture. I think our comrades have underestimated them these past two years. A little wake-up call won't hurt."

Deputy Director Bian added, "The gap objectively exists, but there's no need to get discouraged. When we were working on Dongfanghong, they were landing people on the Moon. Now we're about to land people on the Moon, and they're still landing people on the Moon. We'll catch up soon. We just need to keep moving steadily according to our own timetable."

Deputy Director Bian's gaze swept over the chief designers present, and his tone grew firmer. "Still, that kid Gao Jian went to watch the launch in person this time. When he gets back, we need him to give a proper report. NASA won't release the full telemetry data from the SLS Block 1B's launch through orbital insertion, but as an observer, the details he witnessed up close will still be useful to us."

"Speaking of Gao Jian," Deputy Director Liu from personnel suddenly said from the back row, "I've been calling him for a while, and it keeps saying he's outside the service area. The launch ended an hour ago. Where has he gone?"

Director Dan frowned. "Outside the service area? Has he turned on airplane mode, or is there a problem with the cell towers over there?"

How could his phone be outside the service area? Had he flown into the sky with the rocket?

Deputy Director Liu ventured, "Maybe the cell towers lost connectivity. The viewing area at Kennedy is crowded, so congestion affecting international calls would be normal. I'll try calling again later."

Just then, Director Li from foreign affairs took a call and said with a peculiar expression, "Counselor Wang from the embassy is there too. I got through to him, and he's on his way to the viewing area to find Comrade Gao Jian. Guess who he ran into?"

"Stop keeping us in suspense," Deputy Director Bian urged.

"Elon Musk. But this big capitalist was running with a group of bodyguards like he was in a hundred-meter sprint. NASA's people couldn't even stop him. Hahaha."

"Isn't it perfectly normal for SpaceX's boss to be there? But what does that have to do with Little Gao?" Old Li asked, puzzled.

Director Li shrugged. "Counselor Wang said someone saw Comrade Gao Jian walking with Elon Musk for a while... Anyway, Counselor Wang has gone after him to ask. We'll know soon."

At this, everyone began talking.

Little Gao was really going places. One business trip, and he had managed to make a connection with Elon Musk.

Despite their teasing, no one was particularly worried. After all, Gao Jian was there in an official capacity as a CNSA observer. If anything unusual really happened, NASA would surely send an official notification immediately.

Just then, the auditorium door was suddenly pushed open.

Two people stood in the doorway. One was Director Song from the agency's administrative office. The other was none other than the deputy secretary-general.

With an odd expression, the former stepped aside for the secretary-general. Everyone in the auditorium rose, while Director Dan and Deputy Director Bian went straight over to greet him. They could all sense something unusual in the secretary-general's expression.

What was a heavyweight like him doing at the space agency?

The secretary-general walked in and asked casually, "I happened to be nearby for a meeting. I heard you were watching NASA's lunar launch, so I came over to have a look. How did it go? Was their launch successful?"

The question sounded utterly offhand.

Director Dan considered for a moment. "Very successful. There were a few minor hiccups along the way, but they resolved them all. NASA's technology is still very reliable. The broadcast is on right now. Have a look."

With that, Director Dan pointed to the NASA TV broadcast on the projection screen, where a 3D animation of the translunar injection burn was playing.

The secretary-general did not so much as glance at it.

"Success is a good thing. Seeing them go up, are you all getting anxious?" the deputy secretary-general asked.

Director Dan replied sheepishly, "A little, yes. We're all feeling rather envious."

The deputy secretary-general nodded. "Then all the more reason not to rush. I was chatting with several retired space veterans recently, and one of their points was quite interesting. Essentially, more than half a century has passed between the Apollo era and humanity's lunar missions today-"

Director Dan said, "Yes, that's why everyone has been looking forward to this so much."

The deputy secretary-general said, "Don't interrupt me."

Director Dan: "..."

The deputy secretary-general remained composed. "Technology has continued to advance, but landing on the Moon is more of an engineering challenge. The United States' return to the Moon looks rather rocky to me. This is our first attempt, so we must be even more careful not to rush. In my opinion, you needn't hurry either. If necessary, put it on hold and take some time off. A delay of three or five years, or even eight or ten, won't matter."

With that, the deputy secretary-general swept his gaze over everyone.

The auditorium fell silent in an instant.

Director Dan frowned. "Is that your opinion, or...?"

The deputy secretary-general did not answer. He merely turned toward the NASA TV broadcast, watching with considerable interest, as though it were a cartoon.

Director Dan frowned. "Sir, I know the higher-ups may be unhappy that we haven't caught up with their schedule, but-"

The deputy secretary-general interrupted him. "Safety always comes first."

Director Dan's expression darkened. Seeing this, Deputy Director Bian immediately agreed. "Yes, safety comes first. Every comrade in our department fully agrees on that point. A lunar landing cannot be rushed. We'll take it slowly and assess the risks carefully."

A fierce argument erupted inside NASA. The failure to ignite the engines could not be concealed from the mission control staff. What shocked them even more was that the leadership had prepared CGI footage in advance to deceive the entire world.

But the SLS Block 1B clearly had all the technical capability needed for a lunar mission. Even the lunar orbital module had been launched into lunar orbit a year ahead of time. Every specification had been designed for a lunar landing. Why weren't they going?

The chaos in the room soon subsided, however.

Blackwell stood on the raised platform, looking down at the lambs below. "I know you all have many questions. There is a reason the EUS upper stage did not execute the translunar injection command. I can explain."

A stir ran through the crowd.

Explain what? You were the one who ordered them not to ignite!

Some could not help looking toward Deputy Administrator Anderson. As NASA's deputy administrator, the agency's second-in-command, how could he tolerate such dictatorship from the mission commander?

Anderson merely walked silently to Blackwell's side.

What is that supposed to mean?

Everyone then looked toward Nelson, head of the Artemis Program. As the person in overall charge of the entire Artemis Program, shouldn't he...

Why are you going up there too?

No, there was still one last leader. Everyone looked toward Miller, the SLS program manager, with the last traces of hope in their eyes.

The program manager slowly walked onto the platform as well, folded his arms across his chest, and stood shoulder to shoulder with the other three, silently surveying the room.

At that moment, the entire launch control hall fell quiet.

The flight director, who had been about to stand and protest, was just opening his mouth when a colleague he was close to tugged his sleeve and whispered:

"Think about the property taxes on your house in Virginia. Think about your kid's college tuition. Think about your wife's health insurance bills. Think about that miserable homeless man on the streets of New York. He was still our colleague last year."

The half-risen flight director shifted his chair. "You sit here. I'm a little cramped."

His colleague said, "Oh, sure. Stay seated. Let's switch."

The two exchanged seats.

Blackwell still wore a smile on the platform. "As I said, I can explain."

The guards who had previously been scattered around the room, along with the FBI agents from earlier, had somehow all moved behind him, their hands brushing their weapons, casually or otherwise.

Not a sound came from the audience.

Please don't do this. We won't ask. We won't ask anymore.

Blackwell spoke with heartfelt sincerity, in a tone that could move anyone. "During routine telemetry checks after core-stage separation, our Deep Space radiation monitoring system detected a serious anomaly. The high-energy particle flux in cislunar space, commonly known as the Van Allen Radiation Belt, entered a peak phase two hours ago."

"Although the Orion crew module theoretically has reinforced radiation shielding, and its internal equipment has radiation-resistant designs, this radiation peak is extremely high. It was caused by a geocentric geomagnetic storm, and its intensity is sufficient to penetrate artificial satellites. Our spacecraft cannot withstand it. The astronauts' lives would be in danger."

"The current peak radiation belt lies at altitudes of 13,000 to 60,000 kilometers. I therefore ordered the EUS ignition terminated. We cannot proceed any farther."

The large screen switched to a radiation flux chart, with time on the X-axis and particle flux on the Y-axis. A red curve began climbing wildly from the point marked two hours earlier.

Blackwell said regretfully, "This is not our fault. No one could have predicted this geomagnetic storm. Under these circumstances, you know what would happen if we continued with the translunar injection burn."

"The astronauts would develop acute radiation syndrome, and their immune systems would rapidly collapse. Even if they were lucky enough to survive, they would inevitably develop cancer or leukemia in the future."

The mission commander spoke earnestly, with heartfelt sincerity:

"Safety must always come first."

"Bullshit!" an angry voice shouted.

Elon Musk, accompanied by SpaceX employees and his personal bodyguards, kicked open the doors to the command center!