The "Gold Medal Rocket Man" behind the "Gold Medal Rocket"

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The "Golden Medal Rocket Man" behind the "Golden Medal Rocket" -- Remembering the research and development team of the Long March 3A series carrier rockets

Xinhua News Agency reporter Bai Guolong

In China's journey from a space power to a space power, the Long March 3A series of carrier rockets has made an indispensable contribution. The Long March 3A series carrier rocket (hereinafter referred to as the Changsanjia series carrier rocket), including the Long March 3A, Long March 3B, and Long March 3C models, is the main carrier rocket in China's aerospace field, mainly used for the launch mission of China's geosynchronous transfer orbit satellite, and has played a key role in the construction of major national projects such as the Beidou Project, and is known as the "exclusive train" of the Beidou networking project, with the reputation of "gold medal rocket".

Since October 31, 2000, the Changsanjia series carrier rocket launched China's first Beidou satellite, a total of 28 launches have been carried out so far, and 35 Beidou satellites have been successfully escorted into the air, with a launch success rate of 100% (including 7 one-arrow and two-satellite launches). Behind the dazzling achievements of "high orbit", "high density", "high reliability" and "gold rocket", there is an excellent launch vehicle research and development team, who are the "gold medal rocket people" who have unknownly cast the weapon of the great powers.

Rocket research and development is an extremely difficult and complex system project, which is inseparable from the party's leadership and the development of party organization work. The development team for the launch vehicle is very large and requires the joint efforts of thousands of technicians and operators. In the model team, the party branch is built into each squadron. The model "two generals" are not only the person in charge of technology, but also the person responsible for party building. Party branches and party groups at all levels are not only the main force in the development of models, but also the smallest units for implementing party building work, ensuring that party building work takes root at the grass-roots level and plays a role in model development.

Cen Zheng, the commander-in-chief of the Sanjia series of carrier rockets of China Aerospace Science and Technology Group Co., Ltd., is a party member with more than 20 years of party experience, and he knows in his heart that in order to meet the needs of the three orbital heights of the Beidou engineering task, the Long March 3A carrier rocket needs to have more "skills". Only by taking "independent and controllable core technology" as the goal of technological innovation of the Changsanjia series of carrier rockets can we truly grasp the key core technologies of carrier rockets in the hands of Chinese themselves, and can we be worthy of the great trust of the party and the people.

Therefore, the R&D team set up a technical improvement team led by party members to continuously carry out technical improvement of launch vehicles and strict control of product design, process and process quality, continuously enhance the technical adaptability of the Changsanjia series of carrier rockets, and continuously improve the quality and reliability of product quality. Through continuously exploring the research and development mode of China's carrier rockets under the new situation, innovative models and effective methods such as "de-tasking" group production of carrier rockets and multi-task parallel factory launches have been proposed, which has laid a solid foundation for the successful completion of high-density launch tasks and the innovative development of carrier rocket management technology.

According to statistics, during the implementation of the Beidou Project, the Changsanjia series carrier rockets have made a total of 403 technical improvements, with an average of 28 technical improvements per rocket, of which 43 are as high as each rocket, creating a series of feats such as "breakthrough in non-symmetrical rocket design technology", "launching high-orbit satellites with one arrow and two stars", "sending satellites directly into the middle earth orbit and oblique geosynchronous orbit" in China's aerospace industry.

One year, during the Beidou satellite launch mission, coinciding with the Mid-Autumn Festival, Cen Zheng called his father, who was far away from his hometown, and told him the news that the satellite was about to be launched. The old man told him to pay attention to his body and looked forward to seeing the spectacular picture of the rocket lifting off on tv... At this time, it had been three years since Cen Zheng had last returned to his hometown.

"I also know that this earth is less than everyone who turns, but just worry about work." Cen Zheng said that the most "accompanying" throughout the year is his rocket and his team, and his family has become a distant thought in his heart.

Every time a rocket launch mission is carried out, the provisional party committee of the launch team becomes a strong support for these party members who are away from home. The Provisional Party Committee has played an active role in political and ideological construction, giving play to the role of the party organization of the launch team as a fighting fortress and the vanguard and exemplary role of party members, and fully mobilizing the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of the team members, thus providing a strong guarantee for ensuring the successful completion of the launch task.

"To do this job well is to be loyal to the party and worthy of the motherland and the people." Cen Zheng said that for major space launch missions, success is 100 points, failure is 0 points, and any negligence may bury hidden dangers and even cause serious consequences.

In the face of the huge pressure and heavy tasks of space launches, these "gold medal rocket people" have always been "optimistic". They feel that the development of the space industry is of great importance to the party and the country, and the people have also invested great attention and enthusiasm. The sense of accomplishment and pleasure that this profession brings them is difficult to compare with other professions.

In the second half of 2018, the Changsanjia series carrier rocket team will also carry out six Beidou navigation system global networking satellite launch missions. These "gold medal rocket people" said that they will devote themselves to each launch mission with firm will and high enthusiasm, use the complete success of the carrier rocket to promote the construction of the Beidou project, and make new and greater contributions to China's aerospace power, science and technology power, quality power and "Belt and Road" construction.