Chapter 743: Countdown

Whether it was NASA or the National Astronomical Observatory, both organizations provided nearly identical trajectory maps of space and Earth, with actual and predicted trajectories astonishingly consistent. The precision of both parties’ calculations was nearly the same.

The Americans wouldn’t play an April Fool’s joke on the Chinese regarding such serious matters.

When faced with a threat from outer space, any nation on Earth, even those with unresolved animosities, would share information with all countries in advance. After all, Earth belongs to everyone; if something goes wrong, no one can escape.

They had to take the trajectory marked in a special color seriously.

Moreover, the annotations added by the technical department of the space center and the military noted that while the endpoint was within Chinese territory, fortunately, it was not in a densely populated town.

If it were a regular small village, the government could spend some money to relocate all the villagers and rebuild their homes; even if everyone received small houses, it wouldn’t be a financial burden for the government and military.

However, there was a sizable military base located there. If something went wrong, it would be a huge problem.

A military base is not easily moved; finding a temporary replacement would be difficult, and the construction costs of existing facilities were not much lower than the assets of a town. These sites had been carefully chosen, and relocating them would involve complex factors, potentially exposing the military’s strength.

When NASA provided this information, they didn’t have pure intentions; it would become a significant astronomical disaster on an international scale.

“What should we do? Can the Second Artillery help us solve this?”

General Chen Shaoyu naturally understood that the delivery of these two documents meant that the upper management would likely push this problem onto the space center to resolve.

“Them?! We can’t rely on them. General Zheng from the Second Artillery already hinted to me that they only handle operations within the atmosphere, and are unable to deal with outer space.”

Director Deng had anticipated this answer. After all, intercontinental missiles, such strategic weapons, were not specifically designed to target small celestial bodies in space, as the gap between the fields was vast.

Although the range of strategic intercontinental missiles launched by large rockets was sufficient, they were intended for ground targets; addressing threats from outer space required launching nuclear warheads in close Earth orbit, which could only be achieved by overwhelming firepower.

Yet using nuclear weapons near the atmosphere was something only a madman would do, as it would destroy countless space satellites, including those from China, and even affect the International Space Station.

Moreover, due to Earth’s gravity, large amounts of nuclear radiation and dust would enter the atmosphere, polluting it significantly, leading to catastrophe.

Fortunately, the "Buzhou Mountain" spaceport still had time before its first launch phase; otherwise, even the spaceport would be under threat.

“This situation looks grim. Do we have a way to eliminate it outside the atmosphere? The Fifth Aerospace Training Center’s space shuttle is nearly completed; if we select a few suitable astronauts, we could use the space shuttle to carry nuclear warheads to destroy the asteroid fragments.”

Touching his chin, General Chen pointed at the marked asteroid fragment on the trajectory and continued to ask. Although the fragment was not large, the atmosphere could not incinerate it completely.

The calculations showed that once it fell to the ground, its impact would be equivalent to an explosion of 10 tons of TNT, comparable to a low-yield nuclear bomb. If it struck that military base, there was an 80% chance it would completely erase both people and the base from the Earth in an instant.

“The space shuttle?” Director Deng was taken aback, then immediately shook his head with a wry smile, saying, “The space shuttle hasn’t been completed yet, nor has there been any flight testing. Even if we find a pilot capable of handling it, we still can’t send it into space.”

Although one could consider launching a nuclear warhead into low Earth orbit using a large rocket, that wasn’t straightforward.

Not only was the cost exorbitant, but the production speed was also incredibly slow; producing even one unit in a year would be considered rapid progress. Typically, the three major space centers had no inventory available.

The Second Artillery did have stock, but unfortunately, all were products meant for operations within the atmosphere and couldn’t reach far.

Using nuclear warheads against outer space celestial bodies was purely theoretical. Whether they could hit or explode remained ambiguous since no one had ever truly tested it. Once a nuclear warhead was launched, it could cause panic among multiple countries.

Furthermore, the concern about automated tracking warheads that could seek targets in space was a distant dream; there wasn’t even a prototype.

China had anticipated the possibility of celestial disasters when establishing the Aerospace Department and had begun preparing, but their progress fell far behind the sudden changes in reality.

With an insufficient industrial base, lack of funding, weak technological reserves, and a shortage of technicians, the Chinese aerospace industry, which represented the nation’s industrial strength, was fraught with shortcomings. Currently, managing to send astronauts into low Earth orbit was already a significant achievement.

The space shuttle hidden underground at the Fifth Aerospace Training Center had drained the entire nation’s resources.

Even the Americans, known for their deep pockets, had halted their space shuttle program, highlighting just how challenging it was to build such spacecraft, with costs that even the American government found daunting.

General Chen sighed deeply, saying, “The higher-ups intend for us to resolve this, but what should we do now? Are we really going to set off a nuclear bomb in near-Earth orbit? If we had another twenty years, we might have enough capability to tackle this, sigh!”

America, the pioneer in space development, possessed advanced aerospace technology compared to China and likely discovered this threat long ago. They surely had the means to deal with that pesky asteroid fragment but chose to delay informing China until now, clearly aiming to make a fool of the Chinese.

“We can’t handle it outside the atmosphere, but we should have the capability inside the atmosphere.”

Director Deng was evidently racking his brain for solutions, dealing with this hot potato was truly challenging.

“Let the Air Force think of a way. Once the fragment enters the atmosphere, we can intercept it in stages.” General Chen could only come up with a somewhat feasible plan.

This idea came from the concept of multi-stage launches with rockets; since one shot couldn’t solve the target at once, breaking down the problem in steps could lead to solutions.

If technology was weak, quantity could compensate. With inadequate attack capabilities outside the atmosphere, they could only rely on multiple interceptions within the atmosphere.

As long as they could divert the fragment from its trajectory or break it into smaller pieces, the threat to the military base on the ground would be minimal. That military base was already located in a sparsely populated area; even if it deviated by four to five kilometers, the destructive power of the asteroid fragment would be greatly reduced.

“In that case, let the ground troops try using large laser cannons first. It would be best if we could disperse it while still in outer space, then use high-altitude intercept missiles for a second shot as the target enters the atmosphere, and finally, send multiple fighter jets along the projected trajectory for staggered interception.”

Director Deng felt that General Chen’s suggestion was the most reliable until they found a better solution, although the detailed execution still needed planning by professionals.

Dealing with just a small asteroid fragment could require resources and scale comparable to attacking a small alien fleet, making it a significant operation on an international level.

“Can fighters keep up with the speed of the fragment? It would likely require America’s ‘Aurora’ strategic reconnaissance aircraft to match it. If not, at least planes like the MiG-25 or SR-71 capable of exceeding 3 Mach would be necessary.”

The Chinese Air Force did not have MiG-25s; though it possessed a few MiG-31s, they only reached speeds of 2.8 Mach. Other mainstay fighters, like the J-10, did not exceed the transonic threshold of 2.5 Mach, which made General Chen, who was well aware of the situation, furrow his brow.

The Aerospace Department was an upgraded version of the Air Force; while they were not directly affiliated, there was still a strong connection, as many aerospace personnel came from the Air Force and understood the current state of the Chinese Air Force. General Chen’s concern was not unfounded; once these celestial visitors entered the atmosphere, despite the air friction, their speed could be astonishing, even reaching 58 Mach. Chasing them would be nearly impossible; they would only have a chance if they ambushed in advance.

Director Deng paced back and forth in General Chen’s office, contemplating, “This is indeed a problem. However, I seem to have heard that a new super-speed fighter has emerged domestically, almost mistaken for a missile during interception. I need to verify this with the Air Force.”

“Is that true? That would be fantastic!”

General Chen was stunned; this was a delightful surprise. Laser cannons and intercept missiles had a considerable margin for error, but while fighters could not guarantee a 100% interception, their accuracy would surpass that of the former.

“I heard it can reach speeds of 5 Mach; that should be sufficient. If we can equip it with laser cannons or electromagnetic railguns, the hit rate would be very high. Perhaps we should give it a try.”

Director Deng seemed to have found an opportunity, and he exchanged a glance with General Chen. They both nodded in unison and said, “Exactly! Let’s give it a go!”

“How much time do we have left?”

“Calculating, we have about fourteen hours.”

“Let’s get moving.”

…