The Blue House Presidential Office.
Kim Sangcheol quietly listened to Lee Chanho, then looked out at the distant sky.
D-50. Fifty days from now, beyond that sky, our probe would fly. This fifth Nuri launch would carry the maximum payload of 1.5 tons, with over 90 percent of its parts domestically produced. If it succeeded, Korea would earn the title of “the seventh country in the world to place a payload of over one ton into orbit on its own.”
“Why bring a decision like this to me...”
But with roughly fifty days left until launch, two choices lay before Kim Sangcheol.
Should they safely succeed in a payload test with 0.5 tons more weight than the fourth launch, or should they test a reusable launch vehicle that might explode midway?
“Prime Minister, what kind of present is it this time? Is it a request from that friend of yours?”
“Yes, Team Leader Lee Sejun from the pension fund. But I didn’t take any money this time. Haha.”
“Then why go to all this trouble without even taking a fee for your efforts?”
Lee Chanho laughed good-naturedly.
“It’s not as if I’ve only owed that friend a favor once or twice.”
“That doesn’t sound like you.”
“Do you think I’m always so calculating? Haha.”
“Mm... But if you didn’t take any money, that means you don’t owe him anything in particular, and then may I understand that as meaning I don’t have to listen to this?”
Lee Chanho fell silent for a moment.
In truth, this was exactly why he had not readily accepted the bag of money. Judging coldly, it did not seem likely that the Blue House would approve.
If they did nothing, success was almost certain. If they went ahead, there was a fifty percent chance of success... Between those two choices, wasn’t the answer obvious?
“They say it’s necessary, Mr. President.”
But he could not shake it off.
“Actually, I sought advice not only from that friend but from many others as well. And the scholars related to space all said the same thing. Whatever it may be, you have to launch often for data to accumulate.”
“Then why am I only hearing this for the first time? If it really was that important, shouldn’t proposals like this have come up long ago?”
“Because it’s not something easy to bring up.”
“Not easy?”
“They say reusable launch vehicles were first revealed to the public about ten years ago, and since then, no country has succeeded in developing this technology. At present, it’s a technology only the United States can manage.”
Understanding what he meant, Kim Sangcheol smiled bitterly.
“You can’t deny it’s important, but with our technological level, it’s too vague a prospect, so in the end no one could bring it up?”
“Yes. Well, it’s not as if a first-term lawmaker in our country goes around saying, ‘My dream is to become president.’”
“Is it that reckless?”
“With our current technology? Yes. But we became a country that makes semiconductors in fifty years, starting from a country that didn’t even have expressways. Fortunately, among our great minds, there are many who want to take on the challenge.”
Kim Sangcheol’s expression changed subtly.
From a purely political calculation, it was a hundred times better not to do it. If they changed the kerosene engine, which had been fully verified during the fourth launch, to a methane engine, success or failure could not be guaranteed. Even if it successfully entered orbit, there was no guarantee the reusable vehicle would return safely to the barge.
If it were as easy as it sounded, there was no way China and India, which had even succeeded in lunar probes, would still not have done it.
“...”
But he knew. The ones who had changed the world were not cold realists but reckless dreamers. Whatever it was, you had to learn by throwing yourself at the bare ground.
“This is all well and good, but why bring such a huge issue to me...”
“Because it is a huge issue that I am telling you, Mr. President. In Korea, the only place that can decide this matter is the Blue House.”
“Suppose I make every concession and allow the experiment. Can anything actually be changed? There are only fifty days left until launch.”
“According to KARI, the methane engine itself has already been developed. Its stability simply hasn’t been secured.”
“So you’re saying you want to test that stability this time?”
“Yes. In truth, since the old model’s performance was already fully verified during the fourth launch, they say not much will change by launching it with a slightly increased payload. But if we succeed in testing a reusable launch vehicle...”
There was no need to hear the rest.
It could be understood as the Gyeongbu Expressway of the space industry.
If launch costs dropped to one-tenth, the Nuri rocket would no longer have to be a national mega-event held once every three or four years. They would be launching it constantly, like SpaceX.
“Then would a Korean-style Starlink be possible too?”
Kim Sangcheol crossed his arms and spoke in a noticeably softened tone.
“Looking at recent wars and protests, almost all operations seem to hinge on this technology.”
“As a non-expert, I can’t guarantee it, but if the number of experiments increases, wouldn’t that sort of talk come up someday? Haha.”
Kim Sangcheol replied.
“Then try it.”
“R-really, sir?”
“Well, if the kerosene engine was fully verified during the fourth launch, then there’s no need to confirm it one more time. Try testing the methane engine. And test whether reusability is possible with our technology.”
“Thank you! Then what should I tell the people at KARI...?”
The most important answer remained.
Kim Sangcheol uncrossed his arms, picked up a pen, and replied.
“Tell them the Blue House will take responsibility for every result, so they should do as much as they want. However.”
“However...?”
“If possible, I’d like it to end in success. Now that I’m nearing the end of my term, people here and there keep giving me hell. Please tell them I’m counting on them.”
Lee Chanho answered with a bright smile.
“Yes, I’m certain they’ll repay you with good results. I’ll be sure to deliver that message.”
*
Here is the next story.
The fifth launch of the Nuri rocket, scheduled for eight o’clock this evening, will be delayed by thirty minutes. KARI, which is overseeing the launch, stated the reason for the delay, saying, “It has been delayed by thirty minutes due to changes in weather and a review of the overall system.” As there are no other issues, the launch is expected to proceed as scheduled. They appear to be drawing a firm line regarding the alleged technical defects in the “methane engine” that have been raised by the public.
In truth, this fifth experiment is expected to become an important turning point for Korea’s space industry.
That is because our space technology, which successfully completed the kerosene engine test in the fourth launch, is being put on the test bed of a methane engine for the first time.
Unlike kerosene, a methane engine is a technology for reusable launch vehicles, capable of drastically reducing rocket costs. SpaceX first demonstrated this technology in 2015, and since then, the number of rocket launches has increased dramatically.
It is that revolutionary as a cost-cutting technology.
However, while several countries have challenged this technology since then, none have achieved meaningful results, and at present, it is known as a technology possessed only by the United States.
Accordingly, many experts have maintained a lukewarm attitude toward the fifth Nuri experiment, saying, “It will not be easy for Korea to succeed in a technology that no country other than the United States has reached,” and, “It is certainly an innovative technology, but we must soberly examine why space powers greater than ours have failed to reach this level of technology.”
However, Dr. Kim Seokhun, who is in charge of the launch vehicle for this fifth launch, has consistently expressed his intention to push ahead, saying, “There is little meaning in testing the kerosene engine that was already verified during the fourth experiment one more time,” and, “It will be difficult and arduous, but it is a mountain we must overcome, and even if we fail this time, the challenge must continue.”
In fact, the switch from the kerosene engine originally scheduled for the fifth experiment to a methane engine came after the Blue House, unusually, intervened in this matter.
President Kim Sangcheol first heard an explanation of the methane engine at the Space Strategy Meeting held last month. At the end of that meeting, he left a subtle remark: “The more difficult it is, the more we must try.” As a result, reports have followed that the change in launch vehicle was likely an order from the Blue House.
Meanwhile, as launch time approaches, the leadership of the Daehan Party...
—Bzzzt. You moved it to the launch pad, right? Is the fuel injection finished too?
—Bzzzt. Yes, it’s finished. The erector has also been withdrawn.
—Bzzzt. Good. Then activate automatic operation mode and have each team stand by.
Ten minutes before launch.
All the KARI personnel sat in front of their computers with tense faces.
In ten minutes, the results of their four years of work would be decided. Would our Nuri rocket become a distant star, or would it become a five-hundred-billion-won fireworks show...
—Damn it, I’m so nervous I could die.
—Tell me about it. They should’ve just used the kerosene engine that was verified during the fourth launch. Why methane?
As the launch time drew near, disgruntled voices began popping up here and there.
In truth, today’s occasion was not supposed to be this nerve-racking. Originally, the purpose of this fifth experiment was merely to increase the payload by 0.5 tons using the kerosene engine already fully verified during the fourth launch. After that, there had been steady research on methane engines within KARI, but the prevailing internal opinion was that it was not yet a technology that could be deployed in the field.
—One minute to launch. Each team, standby!
As everyone continued grumbling like that, Dr. Kim Seokhun stared at the monitor with a face more anxious than anyone else’s.
The pressure on him must have been considerable. If the methane launch vehicle exploded before fairing separation, the four years of results achieved by the researchers gathered here would vanish. Even if fairing separation was completed safely, there was no guarantee the separated launch vehicle would return safely to the barge.
Of course, if both of those things succeeded, Korea would instantly become the next greatest space power after the United States...
“Doctor.”
“Ah... Team Leader, you’re here.”
“Don’t be too anxious. If it fails, we can just challenge it again. Until it works.”
Fortunately, my consolation made him laugh once.
As he relaxed slightly, the ignition time they had been waiting for so desperately arrived.
—Countdown! Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven...
In truth, this too was something not in my memory.
In the future I knew, Korea was by no means a country left behind in space technology, but neither was it a country leading the way.
At least as long as I was alive, Korea had no reusable launch vehicle technology.
So I was curious. Did we truly lack the talent, or did we lack the stage... If we had given our talented people the opportunity, could we too have reached that technology?
—Launch!
Just as I sorted through my turbulent thoughts, our Nuri rocket finally split the sky, tearing fiercely through the heavens.
My palms were slick with sweat.
If it succeeded, we would be the greatest space power after the United States. The launch of the Nuri rocket would no longer need to be a national mega-event. KARI would be launching them constantly.
After waiting for about five minutes with that anxious expression, our Nuri rocket began separating from the launch vehicle in the first orbit.
—N-no way...
—Is it... working...
—W-wow!
An astonishing scene unfolded on the screen.
The methane engine had successfully separated and begun returning to a terrestrial orbit. But then—
—Aaaagh!