Chapter 944 - Asteroid Mining Program (2/2)

“They can see the ‘construction site’ on the space elevator? This is…” Kelvin had a speechless expression as he thought for a while, still unable to come up with a suitable word to describe this coincidence.

Celestial Trade didn’t use traditional chemical rocket engines as the propulsion device. They used an electric propulsion rocket engine named RM-400, modified by Jiang Lin, based on the RM-320 rocket engine.

Electric propulsion was using electric energy to generate thrust using electric field. The application of electric propulsion technology in the aerospace field actually appeared at the end of the twentieth century, but it was limited by insufficient thrust, so the technology was not widely applied. In the apocalypse, electric propulsion technology didn’t make a big breakthrough until the middle of the 21st century.

Among them, the plasma propulsion derived from electric propulsion technology was used in some engines of “Zhenghe (1)” Space Colonization Ship. The technical aspect was also very simple. It was nothing more than electrons in the ion body experiencing Hall effect under the action of the cross-vertical electric and magnetic fields, and the ions propelled out were used to form thrust to move the spacecraft forward.

However, this seemingly simple technology in the modern world remained in the conceptual phase. In the modern world, even Ad Astra Rocket Company, the company with the farthest progress in rocket engines, just used this concept as a way to draw investors.

The characteristic of this type of engine was that it didn’t form overly visible tail flames at the tail of the rocket.

This wasn’t to be underestimated as it was quite critical. This meant that with the naked eye, the spacecraft using this engine could only be observed at a certain angle or close enough distance. And if it was on the ground, in most cases, even if people did discover it, it would usually be treated as an ordinary star without drawing too much attention.

“Now, the outside world has speculated it’s Celestial Trade who dragged the asteroid into the Earth-Moon system. Because of the controversy created by a certain group, a wave of negative public opinion formed. The Celestial Trade didn’t drag a big mine into the Earth-Moon system, but an equivalent of three billion tons of explosives.”

“This has no scientific basis.” Kelvin facepalmed.

“Yes, but you can’t expect everyone to study physics and learn to think rationally.” Jiang Chen mocked.

The Bennu asteroid capture program was already successful, and even without considering the dozens of tons of explosives placed on the asteroid, there was no need to worry about any safety hazards.

As for why, it was easy to explain. Since “Bennu” was captured by the gravity of the Earth-Moon system, its relative speed with Earth as the reference point already dropped to less than ten kilometers per second. Even if it really crashed into Earth, the impact would be much smaller compared to before.

It was a headache.

After some discussion, Jiang Chen made a decision.

“The asteroid mining program will start right away, and we must change the public’s false impression that ‘our’ asteroid is not under our control.”

As long as the public could see that Celestial Trade not only possessed the ability to drag this trouble beside the Earth, but they also possessed the ability to solve the trouble, all negative opinion would fade away. The plan was completed as early as last year and only required some minor adjustments.

After arranging this task, Jiang Chen didn’t hold up Kelvin’s vacation any longer. He boarded the helicopter and flew away from the private island.

Looking at the beach hut covered with sand and mud, Kelvin twitched uncontrollably. If he knew, he would’ve built a tarmac.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally gave up the urge to clean himself and called the construction company. The company’s phone number was left for him when he bought the mansion. Its business scope wasn’t only renovations but also maintenance, cleaning and other value-added services.

But then, his plan for a vacation on this beautiful uninhabited island just went down the drain.

(1) Zhenghe – A Chinese mariner from the Ming Dynasty. Zheng commanded expeditionary treasure voyages to Southeast Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, and East Africa from 1405 to 1433. According to legend, his larger ships carried hundreds of sailors on four decks and were almost twice as long as any wooden ship ever recorded. (Source: Wikipedia)