Vol 3. Chapter 7: Reaching for Space
"10... Ten... 9... Nine... 8... Eight... 7... Seven..."
The countdown was underway.
Today, a research rocket was being launched from an improvised launch pad hastily built over the ocean. Frustrated by the lack of valuable resource discoveries, Commander Eve had begged <Ringo> to give the order—and finally, it was decided to allocate a portion of their resources to space development.
This opportunity only became possible thanks to the increasing supply of resources from Fortress No. 2.
That said, once some tangible results were obtained, the launch pad would be dismantled and the area repurposed for building a seafloor platform.
"Ignition... Thrust at target value. 2... Two... 1... One... Lift-off confirmed."
The rocket being launched today was a disposable solid-fuel type.
It carried research equipment in its nose and would continue accelerating as long as the fuel lasted. If it failed to break free from the planet’s gravity well, it would fall back down. If it did succeed, it would function as a makeshift satellite for several days.
Since it had almost no onboard propulsion or orbit correction systems, it was expected to eventually fall back into the atmosphere and burn up.
"Unit One is ascending normally. Passing altitude: 5 km."
"Whoa, fast, fast!"
The rocket was light and a pure launch-and-forget type. The second stage also used solid fuel, and beyond the fuel itself, it had minimal onboard systems.