On August 31, 2023, SpaceX's iconic Falcon 9 rocket was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida, carrying an advanced satellite and a small rocket. This marks SpaceX's 61st successful launch this year and the 114th launch of a Falcon 9 rocket, setting a new launch record for a single model.
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The rocket crosses the sky
The Falcon 9 rocket, a recoverable medium launch vehicle developed by SpaceX, was first launched in 2010 and recovered for the first time in 2015. The rocket design uses a two-stage structure, where the first stage can return to the ground or offshore platform for landing after launch, while the second stage is responsible for placing the payload into a designated orbit. In addition, Falcon 9 also has the ability to carry Dragon spacecraft and carry out personnel or material transportation missions.
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Instant liftoff
Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, has publicly stated many times that SpaceX's core goal is to achieve full recycling of rockets to reduce the economic cost and difficulty of exploring the universe, and the company's goal next year is to achieve 100 flights. In addition, in addition to rocket technology, SpaceX has also demonstrated cutting-edge scientific and technological strength in the field of space exploration. For example, on September 15 this year, SpaceX used the Dragon spacecraft to carry out the Inspiration 4 mission, successfully sending four ordinary people into space for a three-day space journey, which is also the first space mission in history composed entirely of non-astronauts.
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Civilian space travel
At the same time, Musk also cooperated with the US government, successfully launched a large number of spy satellites and undertook the material transportation mission of the International Space Station. At the same time, Musk and another world-renowned entrepreneur, Jack Ma, although they have achieved outstanding achievements in their respective industries, there are significant differences in the direction and attitude of scientific and technological development. In 2019, the two giants started a conversation about artificial intelligence (AI), with Musk seeing AI as a potential threat and stressing that it should be heavily regulated; Ma, on the other hand, is more optimistic, even jokingly saying that he is not interested in Mars and is more concerned about the development of Earth.
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Jack Ma's conversation with Musk
This dialogue reflects the difference in the scientific and technological concepts of the two business giants, Musk is a scientist-oriented entrepreneur who has the courage to explore and pursue innovation; In contrast, Jack Ma, while extremely successful in business, is inferior to Musk in terms of technological depth and breadth.
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The difference between the two entrepreneurs
As a Chinese citizen, I feel that we should pay more attention to scientific and technological innovation, rather than just focusing on economic interests. True hard science and technology are the cornerstone of national strength and the core driving force for the progress of human civilization. However, some Chinese companies listed on the STAR Board, although they received high offering prices, lacked global leading technology and shareholder returns, and only focused on capital operations, which not only damaged the image of the STAR Board, but also affected the financing of companies that are truly willing to carry out technological innovation. Expect us to have more real tech companies.
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The importance of scientific and technological innovation