"It's a success!"

Su Xuan looked at the quantum state.

As long as it succeeds. Didn't they say Mingzhao's idea was outlandish? Well, what about now?

Mingzhao has already proven his strength.

Su Xuan found Yan Zhensheng and handed him the quantum state that was active at low temperatures.

"Mingzhao's strength is such that even in the worst circumstances, he can accomplish the impossible."

"I don't believe that blindly praising foreigners will lead to scientific progress and national advancement. Academician Yan, I think you should make your own judgment. Ultimately, we should trust our own people!"

Yan Zhensheng looked at Su Xuan with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Come to the third conference room at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. You and Mingzhao are both here."

Meeting room!

The air was as cold as if it were frozen, mixed with cheap tobacco, old paper, and a sense of oppressive despair.

The huge world map on the wall is covered with dense lines of communication satellite orbits, except for the area belonging to China, which is a glaring blank.

Project leader Yan Zhensheng, an elderly scientist with graying temples, slammed his knuckles heavily on the table, the dull sound instantly silencing the remaining whispers in the conference room.

"Comrades! Look at this!"

His voice was hoarse and heavy with exhaustion as he pointed to an English briefing he had just received.

"Intelsat IV! The Americans' fourth-generation communication satellite! Its bandwidth is something our ground stations can't even dream of! And what about us? We're still relying on shortwave radios to transmit messages amidst the 'zzzz' noise! ​​International long-distance calls? That's a luxury that only ministers can apply for! This gap isn't just a few years, it's an entire era!"

The briefing was passed from hand to hand, the cold lead type and clear photos like slaps to the face of each attendee.

Silence, a suffocating silence.

With a weak foundation, scarce data, and key components embargoed by the West, even aid from its ally, the Soviet Union, was subject to scrutiny and reservation.

Want to be self-reliant? Easier said than done!

In the corner, a young figure was so quiet that he was almost ignored.

Mingzhao lowered her eyes, but her slender fingers moved quickly across an open notebook filled with densely packed formulas and sketches, as if the weight around her had nothing to do with her.

Su Xuan sat to the side, his eyes anxiously scanning back and forth between Yan Zhensheng and Ming Zhao. He wanted to speak several times, but he held back.

“Comrade Zhensheng,” a voice with a heavy Russian accent broke the silence.

Soviet expert Valery Ivanov sat leaning back in the main seat, his grey-blue eyes holding a condescending scrutiny.

"Difficulties do exist objectively. But science requires a down-to-earth approach, not unrealistic ambitions."

I want to reiterate that communication satellites are a systems engineering project, involving rockets, orbits, transponders, antennas, energy, thermal control, and so on. Each component requires a deep accumulation of technical expertise.

Given your country's current foundation, I believe a more realistic approach is to concentrate your efforts on prioritizing rocket technology; for satellite technology, you should rely heavily on the mature solutions we provide.

He adjusted his glasses and took out a thick Russian document.

"For example, this transponder system design uses our latest traveling wave tube technology. Although it is expensive and complex to manufacture, it is stable and reliable in performance. This is a proven approach."

His tone carried an unquestionable authority. His gaze swept across the entire room, finally lingering for a moment on Yan Zhensheng's furrowed brows and Ming Zhao's lowered head, a barely perceptible hint of contempt flashing across his lips.

A murmur of agreement rippled through the meeting room. Valery's plan, though costly, seemed to be the only tangible "hope."

In an atmosphere of despair, grasping at even a straw is worthwhile.

Just then, a voice rang out from that silent corner.

The voice was not loud, even somewhat cold, yet it pierced the stuffy air like an icicle.

"Comrade Valery's plan has redundant design and places a huge burden on the thermal control system, posing a hidden danger during long-term on-orbit operation."

Whoosh!

All eyes immediately turned to Mingzhao.

Su Xuan was so startled he almost stood up. Yan Zhensheng suddenly looked up, his sharp gaze like a searchlight.

Valery's composure vanished, replaced by astonishment and anger.

“What did you say?” Valery’s Russian accent hardened. “Young man, speak with evidence! My plan has been verified by top laboratories in Moscow! You…”

He looked Mingzhao up and down, noticing his excessively young face and simple clothes. He swallowed back what he was about to say, but his unspoken words were full of doubt.

What do you know, you little unknown young woman?

Despite the sudden focus of attention and Valery's undisguised contempt, Mingzhao's expression remained unchanged.

She didn't even look up at Valery; she simply turned a page in her notebook and pointed to an extremely simple circuit diagram and some hastily written but crucial parameters.

"Based on the signal transmission model and the current domestic component manufacturing capabilities,"

Her voice remained steady, without a trace of emotion, simply stating an obvious fact.

"We can use a hybrid amplification structure, combined with the characteristics of domestically developed semiconductor materials, to replace the traveling wave tube. The key lies here."

Her fingertip pointed to a key point: "By utilizing negative feedback and a special impedance matching design, while ensuring that the gain and noise figure meet the requirements, power consumption is reduced by at least 40%, the size is reduced by one-third, and the sensitivity to temperature changes is significantly reduced. In this way, the pressure on the thermal control system will be significantly reduced, and the overall reliability of the system will actually be improved."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!