Rebirth 99 to become a car giant.

"Masco, can SpaceX consider building its own space station in the future?"

"If you use Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy rockets to launch various components of the space station, the launch cost should be much lower than that of the International Space Station."

As the director of NASA, Griffin cannot accept the situation where the United States is surpassed by China in the aerospace field.

This is not only closely related to the position under his buttocks, but also to the messages he has received since childhood.

China, a country that can't even afford tea eggs, has now surpassed the United States in the aerospace field.

This matter is obviously unacceptable.

But he also knows that if NASA relies on its own strength to build a space station, there is a high probability that there will be no way to get the relevant departments to review and approve the huge funds.

And in terms of construction efficiency, there is absolutely no way to compare with Venus Technology.

Within three months, all components of the Chang'e Space Station were launched into space, completing the construction of the space station.

This speed far exceeds the construction speed of any previous space station.

According to his understanding, the Chang'e Space Station will take at least three years to complete.

How come it was done in three months?

"Building a space station is not completely impossible for our Space Exploration Technology Company."

"But the space station only conducts some basic technology research, which is not really consistent with the development direction of our company."

"Relatively speaking, wouldn't it be more worthy of everyone's expectation to invest limited funds in the research and development of various rockets and then directly aim at Mars?"

Going to Mars is in itself Musko's wish. He hopes to die on Mars in this life.

Originally, this desire was a bit illusory, but under the stimulation of Venus Technology, Musko has regarded it as the key direction of the next technological development of Space Exploration Technology Company.

The Falcon Heavy has basically been successfully developed. Like Venus Technology, it can focus on the development of super-large recyclable rockets. They will also study starships.

As long as the starship is successfully developed, the dream of going to Mars will be one step closer.

"Going to Mars is the goal in the next twenty years, but in the next ten years, should we first set the goal of going to the moon?"

"And whether you are heading to Mars or the moon, it is actually necessary to have a space station or even a base in outer space, right?"

Griffin will definitely not give up the opportunity to convince Masco easily.

If even the Space Exploration Technology Corporation has no idea of ​​building a space station, then other companies in the United States must not have the idea either.

Companies like Boeing also have capabilities in this area.

But no one is willing to spend tens of billions of dollars to build a project that has no way of bringing economic benefits in the short term.

So Griffin doesn't have any confidence that it can convince Boeing.

On the contrary, the situation at Space Exploration Technology Company is quite special, and is similar to the situation faced by Daystar Technology.

The competition between the two families is what many people want to see.

"I specially arranged people to conduct research on Daystar Technology's Chang'e Space Station project."

"Not to mention that our rocket launch costs are much higher than others. Just the production of the space station itself, our costs are also much higher."

"And for some high-end carbon fiber composite materials, our technology is not as good as others."

"In terms of gallium nitride solar panels, no domestic company is involved."

"That would make our space station program a lot more difficult."

Musk actually thinks that building a space station is not completely out of the question.

However, the Space Exploration Technology Company cannot raise all this funds by itself.

If NASA is willing to fund part of it, even if it is to provide all-round technical support, that is negotiable.

But so far, Gryffin hasn't plucked out a single hair.

In this case, how could he let go?

"These problems are actually easy to solve."

"Venus Technology has already set an example for everyone. We just need to innovate appropriately based on them."

"Hexcel can already produce most of the high-end carbon fibers, which can fully meet the needs of space station construction."

"As for solar panels, the technical difficulty is actually not that high."

"If that doesn't work, we can find a way to purchase the basic materials for solar panels from China, and then process them domestically and transform them into specifications that need to be used on the space station."

"Anyway, China's gallium nitride solar panels have begun exporting and can be purchased on the market."

"In terms of other technologies, the threshold should not be that high. With our years of technology accumulation, it is completely possible to produce them."

"In order to reduce the financial pressure on the Space Exploration Technology Company, I am ready to hand over all NASA's rocket launch missions in the next few years to you."

"The cost of various launches only needs to be cheaper than what we launch ourselves."

Griffin knew that Masco would not let go unless he came up with something useful.

So he didn't hesitate anymore and started talking about the conditions directly.

"Although NASA has extensive experience in the construction of space stations, SpaceX's main focus was previously on rocket development."

"We have no experience in space station design and production."

Once the material conditions are met, it is natural to consider the technical conditions.

After all, the aerospace industry is a capital- and technology-intensive enterprise.

Without deep enough technology, there is simply no way to make the project successful.

For projects in the aerospace field, the error tolerance rate is very low.

As long as one launch fails, the space station project may be completely ruined.

Griffin is relatively clear about this.

"We at NASA can help with the design and construction of the space station."

"The only one currently operating in orbit is the International Space Station. I can make the decision and provide you with all the drawings and information."

"At the same time, I will also arrange for those technical personnel involved in the design and production of the International Space Station to join the Space Exploration Technology Company."

"At that time, you only need to combine the technology development direction of China's Chang'e Space Station on the basis of the International Space Station and strive to finalize the plan within this year."

"Then the space station will be produced within next year, and launch and assembly will begin the year after next at the latest."

Gryffin had already said it for this reason, and Masko knew it was hard for him to refuse.

However, such a major matter definitely needs to be discussed within the Space Exploration Technology Company at a meeting.

Relying on own funds is not enough, so it is necessary to discuss raising funds with shareholders.