They stepped out of the circle of friends of China's aerospace industry with their own feet

In China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, there is a special group. They are not the direct developers of rockets and satellites, but they rely on their ideals, wisdom, courage and sweat to push China's space industry to better enter the world.

They have left their footprints all over the world, and even when the epidemic hit, they still packed their bags and traveled everywhere.

When the market is sluggish, they come up with creative ideas to create a new situation; when the project needs them, they will go across oceans and continents without hesitation; in a foreign country, they huddle together for warmth; when separated from their families, they remain heroes without shedding tears.
Today, let us visit China Great Wall Industry Corporation (hereinafter referred to as Great Wall Corporation), a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, to see these fighters on the internationalization front of aerospace and listen to their stories. Many of them are still in a foreign country, shrouded in the smoke of war and in the shadow of the epidemic...

Come on, build a rocket

"Can rockets be shared?" The Long March 6 carrier rocket gave the answer. On April 27, 2021, the Long March 6 carrier rocket was launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, successfully sending the three main satellites, Qilu-1, Qilu-4, and Foshan-1, and six carrier satellites into the predetermined orbit in a "one rocket, nine satellites" manner. The first shared rocket launch mission of the Long March series of carrier rockets was a complete success.

▲ The Long March 6 "shared rocket" was successfully launched

This project is the first domestic commercial launch "carpooling" project initiated and led by Great Wall Company, and it has also created a new "shared rocket" launch service model.

Fu Zhiheng, general manager of Great Wall Company, said: "Although the company provided two launch services for international customers last year, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, market demand was not strong and market development was difficult."

Concepts determine ideas, and ideas determine the way out. How can we break the impasse?

Under the leadership of Fu Zhiheng, Great Wall Company has targeted the opportunity period of booming domestic commercial aerospace development, penetrated the market through the opportunity of piggyback launch, explored the deep needs of customers, and made new breakthroughs in launch services.

They are bold in innovation and active in exploration, combining the experience and capabilities accumulated by Great Wall Company in international satellite projects, overseas customer channels, and advantageous resources in project management, insurance arrangements and financing, and leveraging their own integrated service advantages. They have signed multiple domestic commercial satellite in-orbit delivery projects with many domestic customers; they have provided domestic commercial aerospace customers with system integration services and solutions in line with international project management, creating many firsts.

▲ The signing ceremony of the Chang Zheng 2D shared rocket launch service contract

During the 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, Great Wall Company signed contracts with customers for the "Changba Carpooling" and "Changba Carpooling" projects, further consolidating its position as the leader of the commercial aerospace industry chain.

Praise from Party A

The Launch Service Department of the Space Division of Great Wall Company was established in December 2019. It is a team mainly composed of young employees. Dedication, collaboration, excellence and dedication, everyone in the Launch Service Department always bears in mind the spiritual connotation of the Youth Civilization Number, treats every customer sincerely, and responds to all problems encountered by customers as soon as possible, even in the middle of the night.

During a negotiation for a full-star project, the communication between them and the client was very poor. After negotiating the contract for a whole day, the client asked to completely re-do the contract. If the contract was not produced by the next morning, there would be no cooperation.

In order to win the project, Ding Jie, deputy general manager of the launch service department, led the team to stay up all night and completed the writing of more than 80 pages of contracts. The next day, looking at everyone's red eyes and the high-quality contract text, the client's boss immediately sighed that Great Wall Company is indeed a large company in line with international standards, and asked the employees present to learn more from Great Wall Company's employees in the future cooperation process.

During a launch mission, it was almost impossible to complete the mission because the preliminary work was very complicated.

In order to ensure the success of the mission, the Launch Services Department often works until late at night, completing various documents, conducting a lot of coordination work, and holding telephone conferences with foreign customers. Once, after receiving the documents and translations at around 1 a.m., the leader of the superior management agency said that the Launch Services Department is a dedicated and reliable team.

With its professional and efficient work, the Launch Service Department has been recognized by all parties, met the requirements of customers, and achieved a complete success in the launch mission.

Walking "barbecue"

Li Wenzhe from the Space System Department 2 of the Great Wall Company's Aerospace Business Division is mainly responsible for serving the Middle East market. He joked that he almost became a "barbecue".

It was when signing a contract for a project abroad. The client's R&D funds had been allocated to another project. After Li Wenzhe's repeated requests, the client representative was willing to meet. Because it was Ramadan, according to Islamic law, people were not allowed to eat during the day, and the client was even less likely to provide breakfast, lunch and drinking water. At noon, the client prayed according to religious customs and rested in the office. The sales staff could only wait near the office building for the time being.

▲ Saudi Arabia's KLCP payload participated in the assembly and testing of Chang'e-4's main mission

As the client's office was far from the city center and all surrounding shops were closed in accordance with Ramadan regulations, Li Wenzhe and his team could only find a sheltered area outdoors to organize the minutes of the morning meeting, conduct technical docking with domestic personnel, and discuss the negotiation strategy for the afternoon.

Ramadan is the hottest season of the year in the Arab world, with the surface temperature reaching an astonishing 60 degrees Celsius. According to the old Arab tradition, people can even boil water or cook food directly by burying it in sand. Spending two hours in the afternoon like this left a "deep impression" on Li Wenzhe.

There was nothing to eat or drink. Li Wenzhe and his colleagues were sweating profusely within 10 seconds of leaving the building. They joked: "During Ramadan, the only difference between us and the barbecue is a handful of cumin."
Guarding on the tarmac

Every time a satellite charter mission is carried out, Pan Zhuoyong from the special project team of the logistics company of Great Wall Company will go to greet and guide the satellite convoy of the Fifth Academy at 4 o'clock in the morning, and then escort it all the way to the designated location. Then he will organize the convoy and personnel to enter the site, communicate and coordinate with the crew on the apron to complete the satellite installation work to ensure that everything goes well. After the installation is completed, he will continue to stay on the apron, accompany the technicians to stay overnight, and monitor the technical status of the satellite.

During the epidemic, he had to wear protective clothing, N95 masks, gloves, protective masks and other protective equipment every time, and work at the mission site for more than 10 hours. In order to avoid going to the toilet, he made a plan for himself: not drinking water for a day.

▲ Logistics companies perform security tasks

In the hot summer, the cabin temperature was close to 40 degrees Celsius. Pan Zhuoyong soon sweated in his protective suit, and his sweat got wet and dried, and then wet again. In the cold winter, he had to withstand the biting wind on the tarmac and stand guard all night, which put his perseverance and physical strength to the test. He braved the wind and snow, fought the severe cold and the scorching heat, worked day and night, and had no regrets.

Pan Zhuoyong also needed to be fully armed and escorted randomly, stay in a closed cabin with the crew, and then take a nearly 4-hour flight from Beijing to Xichang or Haikou. After the plane landed, he immediately engaged in the intensive work of ensuring the unloading of the satellite, which basically lasted 36 hours non-stop.

Every time, aerospace logistics workers like Pan Zhuoyong will selflessly stick to their duties, work hard and rely on their strong sense of responsibility to ensure the success of satellite transportation missions.

Some old floor mats

In late March 2021, in order to cooperate with customers' activities, under the severe situation of the rampant overseas COVID-19 epidemic, Li Bin, head of the Export Department of the System Engineering Division of Great Wall Motor, led a team to the front line of foreign markets.

One day, on their way back to their base after work, they were suddenly informed that all routes were blocked. Demonstrators clashed violently with the police and there were casualties, with as many as five or six hundred people arrested. At this time, their convoy was hovering on the edge of the most densely populated area of ​​the demonstration.

For safety reasons, they had to find a temporary place to rest and wait for the situation to improve. But at that time, all the accommodation places were full, and the team could only sleep on the floor in a canteen in the camp.

After a hard day's work, everyone ate and drank the only biscuits and mineral water, and then slept on the floor in several empty rooms in the cafeteria. There was no air conditioning, no mosquito nets, and no quilts in the room, but they had no complaints. Regardless of their position or profession, they pushed and shoved the few old mats on the hard floor.

Some experts not only did not complain, but were also thinking about how to carry out the next day's work. Several people were lying on the floor, discussing how to solve a certain technical problem.

"This night was an unforgettable experience during my overseas work. The old door mat in a foreign country will always remain in our memory," said Li Bin.

"I'll go last"

2021 is a critical year for Great Wall Company's project fulfillment. Whether the fulfillment work can be carried out smoothly is related to the market reputation of the group company and the units to which the products belong, as well as whether future international cooperation can be carried out smoothly and continuously.

In this context, the Export Department 4 of the System Engineering Division of Great Wall Motors dispatched a delegation to a foreign country in June to perform a project service guarantee task. At the end of July, after completing the contract, an emergency occurred: the return flight was canceled or disconnected several times. After several twists and turns, it seemed that returning home was a long way off.

Since tickets for other routes have long been sold out, the team is likely to only be able to arrange for 1-2 people to return home on schedule. A difficult problem lies ahead: There are 8 people in the group, who will go first and who will go later? Faced with this problem, the group must not only ensure the safe and orderly evacuation of personnel, but also ensure the normal implementation of contract performance. Those who postpone their return home are likely to face many risks such as flight suspension and repeated outbreaks.

"I'll leave last." At the critical moment, in order to stabilize the morale of the team and ensure both contract fulfillment and evacuation, project manager Jiang Hao resolutely asked the company to arrange for him to stay until the end, leaving the biggest risk to himself. His behavior inspired other members of the team, and everyone expressed their willingness to stay together until the end.

Finally, except for one person who returned to China on schedule, the other seven people stayed in the company. After staying in the company, they continued to work, laying a good foundation for the subsequent performance of the contract and gaining high praise from the foreign party. Finally, after the unremitting efforts of Great Wall Company, the seven people finally returned to the embrace of the motherland on September 10.

"Son, Daddy doesn't have a mom anymore"

Living abroad permanently is a decision that must be made after careful consideration, and requires a balance between gains and losses.
As a business person, especially one working in the international aerospace industry, merely engaging in project fulfillment, visiting suppliers, studying product manuals, and coordinating work domestically is not enough to fully understand the entire project.

After considering the above limitations, Kang Xiangyao persuaded his family to agree to let him live in Africa permanently.

The departure flight was on October 25, 2020. Before leaving, he went to visit his grandmother. During dinner, he deliberately lied to her: "Grandma, I have a girlfriend. When we return to China at the end of the year, we will get married if we think it's appropriate. You have to coax the children for me." Who knew that this scene would be their last time together. On December 1, Kang Xiangyao's father called and said, "Son, Dad has no mother anymore."

Separation from loved ones was the first hardship that Kang Xiangyao experienced during his overseas posting. He felt his father's helplessness and sadness, and he was very sad. But at the same time, he cherished this opportunity to stay here from the bottom of his heart. Every time he visited clients, made external promotions, and negotiated contracts, he seized the opportunity to learn new knowledge; every time he negotiated with clients, he tried to gain more benefits for the company.

Now, he hopes that he can return home safely, have a successful blind date, have his own family as soon as possible, give birth to a new life, and realize his dream of having his parents help him take care of his child.

"Dad, don't go"

Many overseas personnel have reached the age of "young children and old parents", and being apart from their families is a real problem. For Li Wenzhe, balancing family and work is crucial.

Before going abroad, when he was getting ready to go out, his child would always push a small cabinet to the door with great effort, sit in front of the cabinet, and say to Li Wenzhe stubbornly: "Dad, I won't go." Once when he was stationed abroad, he received a call from his family late at night. On the phone, the child cried and asked when his father would come home.
Every time when Li Wenzhe completes a work trip abroad and the moment his flight back home lands, a strong emotion surges in his heart; similarly, the recognition and support from his family will allow Li Wenzhe to devote himself more wholeheartedly to his work.

In Li Wenzhe's view, the relationship between life and work is not an either-or choice, but a harmonious cycle of mutual promotion and coexistence. The two promote and achieve each other, which is a compulsory course for the growth of every employee of Great Wall Company.

"Work is not just about making a living. The sense of accomplishment, mission, respect and responsibility it brings are also wonderful rewards to the individual." This is what Li Wenzhe really thinks.

Hu Zhongmin, Party Secretary and Chairman of Great Wall Company, said: "In the face of critical tests, the fighters on the internationalization front of aerospace have the courage to take responsibility and go against the tide, demonstrating their loyalty to the Party and their fearlessness of sacrifice. Every effort should be paid attention to, and every contribution should be remembered. Employees are fighting on the front line of the market, and the Party Committee of Great Wall Company must do its utmost to protect the safety and health of employees. The company's Party Committee should cheer on employees and work together with them."

Source: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, China Aerospace News, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Great Wall Company

Text/Chengxuan Congcong

Editor/Liu Huaiyu Gao Yiming

Proofreading/Liu Yan

Producer/Huang Xi