On the early morning of March 12th, the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site once again reported good news - the first launch mission from the No.1 launch station of the launch site was successful. As the launch station for the Long March 8 series rockets, what are the highlights of the "debut"? The new technology escort rocket safe "departure" station 1 is designed and constructed by the Beijing Aerospace Launch Technology Research Institute under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation First Academy. In this mission, its unique diversion and noise reduction technology has attracted attention. The main function of the diversion cone is to guide and discharge the rocket gas flow, avoid damage to the launch facilities, and ensure launch safety. According to Wang Peng from China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, unlike traditional underground diversion channels, Station 1 adopts bidirectional diversion cone technology. The diversion cone, which is 3.9 meters above the ground, "connects" and "melts" like practicing Tai Chi, effectively dissipating high temperatures and flames. Ge Lixin, the head of the Engineering Equipment Department of Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Co., Ltd., said that in order to better cool down and reduce noise, Station 1 has abandoned the traditional tower top water tank design and introduced an extrusion type high flow water spraying system. Two gas storage tanks and one water storage tank are set up on the ground. When the rocket ignites, the control system immediately issues instructions. The high-pressure compressed gas in the gas storage tank causes the water in the water storage tank to spray out from the spray hole at high speed, forming a water curtain. Within 15 seconds, 500 tons of water can be released, which not only protects key equipment such as the launch pad and guide cone from gas flow erosion, but also improves cooling and noise reduction efficiency by 30%. It is worth mentioning that the spray holes evenly distributed on the launch pad and guide cone surface have been designed through precise calculations and multiple experiments. Not only is the distribution reasonable, but it also ensures that sufficient water is sprayed out in a very short period of time. This is the first successful ground gas flow guidance device to ensure the launch of a medium-sized liquid rocket Wang Peng stated that the series of innovative designs not only significantly improve the safety of rocket launches, but also provide a new solution for future space launches. The new model reduces the waiting time of rockets. Commercial aerospace requires "quick response", and improving efficiency and reducing costs are particularly important. The Long March 8 rocket team, in conjunction with Station 1, has made a breakthrough by adopting the "New Three Vertical Launch Mode": the rocket is segmented and transported separately by road to the launch site before completing the final assembly. The team also pioneered the "pulsating production, testing, and launch integration" mode, equipped with dual pulsating production lines and three vertical operation positions in the Hainan final assembly and testing plant, achieving efficient connection of the entire process of rocket production, testing, and launch. China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation's Song Zhengyu said that the new model simplifies the launch site process, improves standardization and automation, and significantly reduces the occupation time of the factory building, reduces launch waiting time, and compresses the mission cycle of the launch site to "7-day launch, 7-day recovery". In the future, it is expected to meet the high-density mission demand of weekly launch. The construction of Station 1 has been meticulously planned, revealing many cost saving "tricks": by integrating resources from more than 200 supporting units across the country, the construction period from design to completion has been shortened by nearly half compared to general space launch sites; The launch tower adopts modular and structured design, reducing the construction scale by 40%; The pioneering ground diversion device has replaced the deep pit diversion groove, shortening the construction period by 60% and reducing costs by 70%... "This is not only a launch station, but also a microcosm of China's aerospace personnel's independent innovation and overcoming difficulties," said Zhang Xiaojun, Chief Commander of Station 1 at Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site. The team will continue to optimize the launch and management process to better serve the launch mission. The new 'brain' alleviates the pressure of manual work. During the preparation process before the rocket launch, the staff in the launch command hall can constantly observe the rocket status of station one through the 'smart launch site system'. The person in charge of the "Smart Launch Site System" introduced that the system is the "brain" and "central nervous system" of the launch site, which realizes real-time monitoring and remote operation of data through full process automation control. With just a few buttons, it can complete the refueling and pressure adjustment actions that originally required personnel to be on site, allowing testers to "stay at home" and improving the level of unmanned front-end operation. When system abnormalities are detected, the backend can respond quickly, greatly reducing the risk of human operation. Faced with an increasing number of launch missions, traditional manual management and plan adjustments are no longer applicable to commercial aerospace. Fu Jumei, Minister of Quality and Risk Control Department of Hainan Commercial Development, said that the "Smart Launch Site System" has specifically developed a task control module. For example, when a task requires a crane, the system will automatically check and allocate available cranes. Once resources are allocated, new requirements can only be accepted after the task is completed, so there is no need to manually check the status of resources frequently. In the first mission of Station 1, the system also expanded the health management function of the launch site for the first time. Once an abnormal situation occurs, the system can quickly diagnose and propose a solution, and report it to the comprehensive operation and maintenance management platform. The platform can not only clearly view the health status of all equipment at the launch site, but also issue reminders when the equipment is approaching its lifespan, thereby reducing a large amount of manual inspection work. Xiao Yun from China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation stated that in this mission, the "Chang-8" and Station 1 successfully passed practical testing, and their coordination and matching laid the foundation for subsequent high-density launches. The efficient operation capability of Station 1 can significantly shorten the rocket launch mission cycle and provide faster and more reliable services for commercial users. (New Society)