Chapter 152 Just follow this plan and do it
The market size of traditional CFD software is not large, with the global annual output value being only about US$3 billion.
But it is quite important and has strategic significance.
Similar to EDA software, the market size is not large, and the global annual output value is only a few billion dollars.
As an upstream basic tool in the field of integrated circuits, EDA software runs through integrated circuit design, manufacturing, packaging and testing, and is one of the strategic basic pillars of the integrated circuit industry.
The Xingliu software tool developed by Lu An is benchmarked against traditional CFD software.
Several major aerospace agencies, including several aircraft design bureaus, are not free to access the Starstream software tool this time, but have to spend money to purchase it.
The cost is 20 million yuan per year, which is actually very expensive. The annual fee of traditional CFD software ranges from tens to hundreds of thousands. The annual fee of Xingliu software is 20 million yuan, which is a sky-high price.
However, several units that have access to this tool are happy to spend the money because it is so worth the money.
Compared to the fact that Xingliu Software can save tens of billions of funds for project projects and shorten the project cycle time, this 2000
hmond is simply not a hair on the body of a cow.
The special edition has a very high threshold and must undergo strict approval by relevant national units. General institutions or enterprises cannot use it, and they do not even know that the special edition exists.
The public version has not yet been spun off by Luan.
The public version will be launched in the future, and the price will be the same with an annual fee of 20 million yuan. Use it as you like.
As long as the public version is released, it will definitely be used. Although it is more than ten times more expensive than traditional CFD software, it is well worth the money.
And it’s not enough if you don’t use this set of tools, because if you don’t use it and your competitors use it, you will be at a huge disadvantage. Even if you are ahead by a large margin now, you may be quickly caught up by your peers in the future, or even overtaken.
It is no exaggeration to say that all industries or projects involving fluid issues will have a common boss in the future, and no one will dare to offend Lu An.
Hong Kong's property rights and income from Xingliu software tools are placed under the Star Power Aerospace Company, which can be regarded as a sideline for the company. After all, it may not be profitable for a long time in the future.
The current global CFD software market size is about US$3 billion per year.
Lu An estimates that after the public version of the Xingliu software tool is gradually released to the market, it will not be a big problem for the overall output value to expand to 30 to 50 billion US dollars.
It is not that industry demand has suddenly doubled exponentially, but that Xingliu software tools have become more expensive.
However, it will not expand to an annual output value of tens of billions of dollars in a short time, mainly because Lu An’s personal productivity is limited.
This thing can only be developed by him alone. The AI assistant has not yet been developed, and it is impossible for him to turn himself into a cow and develop it day and night.
As for the urgent needs of the market, just wait.
· What is certain is that every time the Xingliu software tool expands into a field in the future, the traditional CFD software in this field will be eliminated by Xingliu.
· People in the industry will vote directly with their feet, abandoning traditional CFD software without hesitation and embracing Xingliu software, even if it is more than ten or even twenty times more expensive than traditional CFD software.
The pace of elimination of traditional CFD software depends on Lu An’s personal productivity.
Since the expansion of Xingliu software can only be promoted by Lu An alone, the elimination speed of traditional CFD software will not be that fast. It may take at least ten years. In areas where Xingliu software does not yet exist, traditional CFD software must still be used.
However, the elimination of traditional CFD software is irreversible, but the speed is relatively slow.
It is only a matter of time before Xingliu software tools completely replace it.
Three days later.
Lu An arrived at the temporary headquarters of Star Power Aerospace.
When he arrived at the company, he held a meeting with Wu Guangyu, Wang Tieyi, Novikov and other experts.
At this moment, Wu Guangyu, the chief engineer attending the meeting, looked at Lu An and said:
"Comrade Lu An, after intensive discussion and verification during this period, we all agreed that with the support of the Star Stream tool, it is completely feasible to complete a new rocket from project establishment to first flight within an 18-month period."
They had not believed it before, because based on past empirical scientific thinking, such a short time as 18 months was simply impossible.
This amount of time may not even be enough for technical demonstration.
But things are different now. After the birth of a revolutionary new tool, it is no longer a fantasy to shorten the cycle to 18 months.
Wang Tiejun immediately picked up a document and handed it to Lu An, saying, "This is our preliminary plan for Star Power's first rocket, which is also a recyclable rocket. Comrade Lu An, take a look."
Hearing this, Lu An took the file bag, took out the materials and opened a column.
The initial project code name is: Star Arrow 1.
The project is positioned as a medium-to-large recyclable launch vehicle, benchmarking against SpaceX's "Falcon 9" rocket, and striving to surpass it in key performance.
Use the Star Stream tool to perform full-system, full-envelope aerodynamic, thermal, and structural topology optimization to maximize the thrust-to-weight ratio and carrying coefficient. The design goal of the first-stage rocket is to reuse it at least 50 times, simplify the maintenance process, and pursue rapid turnaround similar to aircraft.
Adopt modularity and versatility, and standardize interfaces to adapt to different mission requirements, such as multiple satellites in one rocket, large single satellites, manned spacecraft adapters, etc.
Lu An flipped through the documents and read the main parameter design goals of "Star Arrow 1".
Height: 72.6 meters.
Diameter: 3.81 meters.
Takeoff mass: 588 tons.
Takeoff thrust: 8600kN.
Propellant: liquid oxygen/liquid methane.
First-stage engines: 9 "Xinghuo-1A" liquid oxygen methane engines, each with a thrust of 960kN.
Secondary engine: 1 vacuum-optimized "Xinghuo-1V", with a vacuum thrust of 1480kN and a vacuum specific impulse of 465 seconds.
Carrying capacity (up to LE0 level recovery): Star Arrow 1, target ≥ 29.56 tons, Star Arrow 1 expendability, target ≥ 39.65 tons.
Carrying capacity (up to GT0 level recovery): Star Arrow 1, target ≥10.79 tons, Star Arrow 1 expendability, target ≥14.21 tons.
Single launch cost: 150 million yuan.
Emission cost per kilogram after reuse: 2,500 yuan.
The manufacturing cost of the rocket body: 220 million yuan.
Other expenses: RMB 15 million, including fuel, ground personnel, facility maintenance, etc.
From the perspective of target parameters, "Star Arrow 1" can be said to be extremely ambitious, and its overall performance is about 30% to 45% higher than SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.
Falcon 9's maximum load in low-Earth orbit is 22.8 tons, while Star Arrow 1 has reached nearly 30 tons.
At present, the launch cost of traditional disposable rockets is about 20,000 US dollars per kilogram, equivalent to about 130,000 yuan, while "Star Arrow 1" can push the cost to 2,500 yuan per kilogram.
Compared with the launch cost of traditional rockets, it can plummet to more than 95%.
In addition, Star Arrow 1 uses liquid oxygen/liquid methane as fuel propellant because it is suitable for large-scale commercial launches.
In terms of performance, the specific impulse of methane falls between that of kerosene and liquid hydrogen. The thrust is large enough, but it does not have a huge storage tank like liquid hydrogen.
Methane has a much higher density than liquid hydrogen, six times that of liquid hydrogen. The rocket can be made shorter and thicker, thus saving structural weight.
In addition, its boiling point is only about 20 degrees different from that of liquid hydrogen. The two storage tanks can be made into a common bottom, and the insulation layer, valves, and pipelines can be merged, saving a lot of dead weight.
Then it is cheap. Methane is natural gas. It is available everywhere. Purifying it into liquid methane is even more amazingly cheap. The cost per kilogram is less than one percent of liquid hydrogen. Cleaning the engine more frequently saves much more money than burning kerosene, because the carbon deposits are almost zero. It can be reused 50 times without any pressure.
It is also a plus in terms of environmental protection. The products of methane combustion are mainly carbon dioxide and water, with no other harmful gases. It is relatively environmentally friendly and can be used for large-scale commercial launches. It also supports autogenous pressurization and does not require an additional nitrogen system, which further simplifies the system design.
However, it also has its shortcomings.
After all, the thrust density of methane is not as good as that of kerosene. If you want the same thrust-to-weight ratio, you must either enlarge the storage tank or push the combustion chamber pressure upwards, including the turbine pump and pipelines. This is also the next problem that "Star Arrow 1" must overcome.
Low temperature management is also more troublesome. Methane needs to maintain a low temperature of -161C for a long time.
It looks warmer than liquid hydrogen, but it puts forward higher requirements for ground filling, tank materials, valve seals, etc., which increases the complexity of the system. Otherwise, leakage and leakage can freeze the launch pad into an ice rink.
· Generally speaking, liquid oxygen/liquid methane is not the most powerful propellant, but it is a bonus in terms of "reusability and low cost", which means it is more suitable for large-scale commercial launches and will become the mainstream of commercial rockets in the next twenty years.
Lu An read the materials, put them on the table, and immediately made a decision: "Okay, Star Arrow 1, let's follow this plan, let's do it!"
Wu Guangyu and others looked surprised. They didn't expect Lu An's decision to be so crisp and clear.
"Star Arrow 1 is an ambitious plan born with the support of Xingliu software. The parameters are very radical. It only takes 18 months from project establishment to first flight. This target period will be the longest for human spaceflight. It is a speed that has never been seen in the history of the sky, but it is not a castle in the air.”
This group of old experts present have been dealing with rockets all their lives, and they are particularly excited now.
If Star Arrow 1 can achieve its first flight within 18 months, such an efficiency miracle will leave a mark even in the history of world spaceflight.
The practical significance is even greater. Reducing the launch cost to 2,500 yuan per kilogram will greatly expand the prosperity of commercial aerospace.
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