Chapter 9 Public Opinion_1

"Because the satellite did not have a name, we used the internal code W1, with a maximum diameter of 2.1 meters, a total weight of 398 kilograms, its primary function is cosmic radiation detection, but it is also equipped with a multifunctional camera module. Its nature is mainly platform experimentation, with scientific detection as secondary.

Due to the urgency of time, W1 does not have solar panels but uses built-in silver-zinc batteries, with an expected lifespan of 50 days in orbit, which is enough to complete the predetermined scientific goals..."

In early August, the basic design of the satellite had been finalized, and most specifications had been confirmed. Lin Ju came to Southern Machinery Institute to listen to the detailed explanatory report.

The response of the Southern Machinery Institute was very quick, using its own advantages to obtain the main parameters of the near-Earth orbit and notes for the satellite, expecting to complete the manufacturing of the satellite in over 20 days, and that too, two at a time.

The main reason is that the weight limit of 400 kilograms is quite generous, which gives a lot of leeway in design, unlike their previous collaborative projects, which had a total weight of only 80 kilograms, and where every gram had to be carefully considered.

Sitting in the front row, Lin Ju frequently attracted attention, especially from teachers who had once taught him. No one could have imagined that this student would engage in space after just graduating, it was simply unbelievable.

Moreover, his identity had gained another dimension now: he was essentially the first person in private spaceflight.

Regardless of success or failure, private capital was officially making rockets - this was now China's first case.

The outside word was that it was a school-enterprise collaboration, with the emphasis definitely being on the school providing technical support, but in reality, the rocket was completely led by the tractor factory.

The Southern Machinery Institute knew this very well. Even though it was supposed to be the satellite design presentation, they did not forget to flatter Lin Ju at the end, much to his embarrassment.

After the report, Lin Ju made a show of touring the Southern Machinery Institute's laboratories and, after glancing at the infant satellite, prepared to leave.

However, when he returned to the tractor factory, he found that there were more than a dozen people gathered outside, and there was a van with the TV station logo parked by the roadside.

Lin Ju's instinct was to slip away quietly, but Deputy Factory Director Chen Rong, who was negotiating with the journalists outside the factory, saw his car and immediately ran over.

"Factory Manager Lin, the TV station, people from the TV station are here to interview you."

"I don't want to be interviewed, Chen, please handle it quickly, I'm leaving."

"Don't leave, Factory Manager. It's the provincial TV station. They said that the city officials are with them too. They are interested in our factory and are planning to include it in the high-tech industry list."

Lin Ju did not care about superficial interviews, but he was very concerned about the real interests of the factory, and upon hearing this, he decided to accept the invitation.

The eager provincial TV reporters and crew had already reached the car, but they were still surprised to find out that the young man before them was Lin Ju.

One, because of his youth, and two, because Lin Ju had not changed his vehicle; this battered and paint-peeled Jetta wasn't even worth as much as the interview van.

The interview reporter immediately felt a few degrees more respect for him; no wonder such a young person accomplished so much, being so frugal was indeed not easy.

Little did he know, Lin Ju dared not spend money. Although there was a lot of cash on the tractor factory's books, this was for manufacturing space equipment, and who knows what could happen? It was safest to be prudent.

The provincial station had already been briefed by leaders; their visit was really just to take some photos. The task was essentially complete after having a dialogue with Lin Ju, which made him feel quite relaxed too.

The whole interview process was uneventful and lacked sensitive content.

Just when he was about to finish the interview quickly, the system panel in his mind suddenly popped up with a prompt:

[Complete one active media guidance, system reward efficiency increased by +1%]

After half a month of silence, the system assisting with space exploration abruptly came up with a notification that made Lin Ju's eyes light up, and he promptly inquired about its meaning.

It turned out that as the system leading the stars, each task not only had a completion metric but also could boost the weight of the rewards at settlement through the task's influence, affecting the quantity or level of the rewards received.

However, influence was only accounted for in actively guided parts, meaning the system entities themselves must initiate it, not through other channels.

This caused Lin Ju, who originally planned to make a quiet entry, to instantly change his mind, deciding to take the initiative.

The next day, Accountant Cai Yuanfa received a new appointment: Head of the Publicity Department.

As the factory's "high-caliber scholar" and a person of stereotypical cultural image, Lin Ju did not hesitate to load him with responsibilities and immediately set about getting the publicity work underway.

Despite being cross-industry, the tall and lean Accountant Cai thumped his chest confidently and immediately used his authority to recruit people.

A computer science college student back in town with nothing to do? You're in charge of network operations!

The widow Wang, always posting short videos online? She's the Deputy Head of the Publicity Department.

Wang Xiaoteng, the 36-year-old unemployed programmer from Old Wang's family? Stop nitpicking and come work on the official website.

With a discerning eye, Accountant Cai had assembled a luxury team, ready for a major endeavor, and then he received Lin Ju's formal assignment: to set up official platforms and accounts to publicize the progress of the rocket and attract attention.

The first was simple, the laid-off programmer's skills might not be exactly fitting, but it was not too shoddy to apply for a website and decorate a page, just slap on a set of PPT production techniques, and presto... the XinYuanTractorFactory's official website is launched!

A minimalist black and white color scheme, a couple of high-definition rocket images nabbed from the internet, detail pages plastered with factory photos, slap on a phone number and email, and voilà, perfect!

The second task of opening accounts was also extremely simple, just spend a bit of money for official verification on major video platforms and social networks, and voilà, official accounts are up and running!

They sent the DX1 rocket, the New Yuan No. 1 effect diagram and dimensions made by Guo Shen to a professional video team for some template editing... no, this was 2014.

In the end, they found someone from the Southern Machinery Institute to create the promotional video and then submitted it to Lin Ju for review.

Then Lin Ju watched the opening that reeked of a small-town enterprise style, as well as the cartoonish simulated rocket launch sequence, and smacked his lips.

It must be said, the video production system was not yet mature in the pre-Douyin market, and the visual effects were not as polished as they would be later, but it was passable for that era.

They released the video and then spent a little money to buy a trending topic; back then, trending wasn't as expensive, and the investment wasn't substantial.

The official Weibo did the same, also earning a spot on the trending list, then exchanging likes and collaborating with the official Weibo of Southern Machinery Institute, naturally drawing in the traffic.

To deliberately create a sense of contrast and garner traffic, Lin Ju decided to postpone the renaming of the tractor factory.

Indeed, in just a few days, the news that China's private space enterprise would launch its first rocket in September had spread all over.

A vast number of netizens were first drawn in by Southern Machinery Institute's blog and then directed to New Yuan Tractor Factory's official Weibo.

"No way, the photos and materials seem serious enough, but why such a bizarre name?"

"New Yuan Town Tractor Factory? Do you think you're the Bavarian Motor Works?"

"Can Chinese people take themselves seriously? A tractor factory seeking attention by building rockets is either daydreaming or pure hype!"

"Even American private spacecraft companies need NASA's support, can China manage on its own?"

"I heard they bought the technology and blueprints from America, even the workers are American, and Chinese people are not allowed in the factory, totally a sub-enterprise supporting America!"

"..."

Lin Ju originally wanted to see the effect of his traffic generation, but his eyebrows knitted as he continued to read.

He suddenly remembered, this was not the China of 2024, with aircraft carriers being launched and space stations being built. In 2014, the cynics and party of national haters were still crawling all over the place.

As the argument heated up with the trend, these people came sniffing around, each of them also sporting a yellow verification badge!