Great Power Technology.

Chapter 384 Large-Scale Change of Orbit

Low earth orbit, 570 kilometers high.

In the "Dragon" manned spaceship, four "non-professional" astronauts are recording the orbit change operation data of the Starlink system that has just ended through the operation panel in front of them.

In fact, the orbit change operation of the Starlink system can be initiated from the ground. The reason why the space shuttle is equipped with a control system is essentially a disaster preparedness consideration for the U.S. military.

They want to test whether they can control a large-scale satellite group through directional microwave communication in the air when the ground communication is completely jammed, so as to avoid information leakage caused by ground monitoring.

Before the dragon spacecraft was launched, this was originally just one of their side missions, but as the situation took a turn for the worse, the status of this side mission also rose, and it became one of the most important tasks.

In three days, they have already carried out such an orbit change operation twice——of course, what they operated was not a real orbit change, but a simulated transmission of data.

For a satellite, every time it performs an orbit change, the stored fuel is consumed, and when the fuel is exhausted, it is the end of the satellite's life.

After all, an uncontrollable satellite is actually no different from space junk.

Among the four astronauts, Jane is the oldest one. Her real identity is a senior engineer of NASA. This time she went to the sky as an ordinary person, but she actually took advantage of the cover of the intelligence agency.

At this time, she has completed the final data calculation and transmitted the data to the International Space Station thousands of kilometers away, and is waiting for a response from the space station.

Half an hour later, the space station replied to check the information, and another half hour later, a plaintext message with the content of "Grand Canyon" was delivered to the Dragon spacecraft.

At this point, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

In fact, two days ago, she had already received a ciphertext message from the ground, and the ciphertext content was "Cardinal".

This is the second time in her 20-year career that she has received information transmitted through this ciphertext system completely based on human brain records. The last time she received it was when a major crisis occurred.

This system consists of 160 words, and each word represents a specific situation or action strategy. There is no record in the electronic system, and it is purely word of mouth after entering the industry.

Obviously, this is to ensure maximum security, and it can even be called a password that is almost impossible to crack—at least in the early days of the war, when there is no large-scale operation basis as a reference, this system is a complete black box .

And this time, the first ciphertext she received was "Red Sparrow" with the highest priority in the entire system, which means that a comprehensive information leak has occurred, and any information transmitted through the electronic system can no longer be trusted , all actions are carried out according to the initial plan.

Therefore, when she transmits the data of Starlink's orbit change, she not only uses multiple methods to encrypt the file, but also has two sets of data itself, one of which has been tampered with on key nodes, and only those who have actually contacted the Starlink system The relevant personnel of the control can see the difference from it.

The message "Grand Canyon" is a sign that the other party has completed the identification.

Jane sighed deeply, untied the restraint belt on the seat, gently pushed the handle, floated up from the chair, and began to slowly move towards the rest area of ​​the spaceship.

There, she meets another key character of the voyage, James.

The real identity of the other party is a senior military information and intelligence officer, responsible for electronic warfare technology and spy satellite monitoring. At this time, he is eating lunch in a small restaurant.

After seeing Jane, he asked:
"Want a piece of pizza? I just warmed it up."

Jane shook her head, and answered:

"No appetite. It's a serious situation. I don't know how you manage to keep this up. Are you not worried?"

Hearing her words, James shook his head and smiled, and replied:

"This is the training we must go through. For every intelligence officer, being able to face pressure with a stable attitude is the most basic requirement. Are you worried? Of course, I am as worried as you. However, in addition to doing a good job in the current Work, do we have any other options?"

"Our enemy has obviously gained an advantage this time, but we are not completely helpless. At least now, in this space, our information is still guaranteed to be kept secret."

"I doubt that."

Jane pulled up a leash that was floating in the air, and re-attached herself to the chair.

"Yes, yes, it's normal to be skeptical. But listen to me, there's really no need to worry too much. From the information we've received right now, everything on the ground is normal, isn't it?"

"Are you worried that the Ugly Country will cease to exist after we return?"

"...It's not impossible."

Regarding Jane's pessimistic views, James laughed and comforted him:

"Jane, you are just a technician. It is normal to feel nervous when you are suddenly involved in such a conflict. But, if you think about it, has our country faced fewer crises?"

"Even if it is the most extreme situation, the kind that may destroy the entire country, we have dealt with it more than once, so it is really nothing in comparison."

"It's just an information leak. With your authority, I can't disclose more details to you, but what I want to tell you is that we will take care of it."

Hearing this, Jane's tense body finally relaxed.

Yes, the pressure on me was so great that I almost ignored some objective facts—for example, the fact that my country was still the most powerful country on the planet.

After a short pause, she skipped the subject and asked instead:
"When will our actual orbit change operation start? I heard that this orbit change will be the largest orbit change since the Starlink system was connected to the grid. Under the current circumstances, the difficulty of completing Is it big?"

James frowned slightly, and after pondering for a moment, he answered:

"Of course there are still difficulties, but difficulty and benefits coexist."

"This time, we will use large-scale orbit changes to occupy as much space as possible in low-Earth orbit, forcing their Tiangong space station to leave the existing orbit, consuming the life of the space station, and blocking the attack angle of their space-based laser weapons."

"And, this change of track is actually a response to the intelligence leak we are facing now—we are going to test the intelligence penetration of the other party."

"If their control is limited to the ground, then the space we can operate is relatively large."

"do you understand?"

Jane nodded, indicating that she was clear.

As James said, this large-scale reorientation operation is an offense, but it is also a test.

If everything goes smoothly according to the plan, one's own side will be able to greatly weaken the opponent's dominance in space and officially display the capabilities of the Starlink system.

At the same time, the space-based laser system just established by the opponent will also be greatly affected. The synchronously operating Starlink satellites will block the attack angle of the laser system, and use their own worthless body to block the laser path.

If laser weapons are to be used, they must at least burn through the satellite in front of them first.

Moreover, even if the satellite can be burned through, a large pile of metal solution suspended in space will continue to block the path of the laser, making the so-called space-based anti-missile system a tasteless one.

This is a nearly perfect strategy, the only problem is that the orbit change operation must be smooth.

Thinking of this, she continued to ask:

"Can we trust Musk?"

James shook his head and replied:
"No. We have a pure cooperative relationship with him. If one day he finds that the cooperation with us becomes unprofitable, he will naturally abandon us without hesitation."

"But at least, as of now, we're still friends with him."

"Of course, it won't be so after this time."

"Congress has made a decision that if this operation fails, we will not provoke our opponents for a long time in the future. So, this is probably our last chance to never go wrong."

Jane nodded solemnly, then untied the restraint belt, and flew in the direction of the control room again.

Two hours later, the 9 Starlink satellites carried by the Falcon 10 successfully entered the network, the Starlink system was disconnected from the ground command system, and the command was completely handed over to the Dragon space shuttle.

Jane took a deep breath, and began to input the calculated data on the operation interface, one by one command was issued, and all the Starlink satellites involved began to perform orbit changes.

If someone observes from a higher space perspective at this time, no matter what his position is, he will be shocked by this grand scene.

Hundreds of artificial satellites emit white exhaust at the same time, their attitudes are constantly adjusted, and their orbits are either raised or lowered. On the azure blue background of the earth's ocean, they are like rhythmic strokes one by one.

At this moment, Jane suddenly had a feeling:
My previous worries were completely unnecessary, and my country was still invincible.

Even without considering other aspects, who can do it just by controlling these thousands of satellites?

She continued to input commands skillfully, one satellite after another was adjusted into the predetermined orbit, and the observation interface of the opponent's space-based laser system was already being blocked, and at the same time, three fast-moving satellites were already approaching the Tiangong space station. .

The difference in orbital altitude is two kilometers, which is almost a miss on a space scale.

The only option for the other party is to adjust the track.

Everything seems to be going well.

A smile appeared on Jane's face, she had almost foreseen the success of this operation.

However, just after she typed the last command, the situation changed suddenly.

Those Starlink satellites that had stabilized suddenly restarted their engines!
(End of this chapter)