Chapter 6, successively launched into the sky

On the side of the Yan Kingdom, after the Federal forces provided the Falcon rocket, they combined it with their own Long March series rockets to modify a heavy spacecraft equipped with multiple engines. This spacecraft is designed to exert thrust on asteroids near the lunar orbit, utilizing the moon's gravity to alter the trajectories of the asteroids

At this time, countries can no longer afford to conceal their nuclear missile silos; some that have long been exposed or are simply in plain sight have already entered a state of readiness, with nuclear warheads mounted on missiles and prepared for launch

However, up to this point, all the data is merely estimations, and no one knows exactly how much this meteorite weighs, nor whether the heavy spacecraft developed by Yan Country will have sufficient thrust to alter its trajectory

The three teams that had long been on standby launched successively, and they will conduct fuel replenishment at the International Space Station and the Tiangong Space Station in low Earth orbit around Blue Star. Subsequently, they will utilize the gravitational forces of Blue Star and the Moon to accelerate, enabling the spacecraft of Yan Country and the Federation to reach a speed sufficient for landing on the surface of the asteroid

Perhaps it is precisely because of such thoughts that the federal disaster preparedness has not been carried out ideally

As for the federal government, at this time, their main focus was on the defense plan against meteors. Coupled with the government's limited ability to control the states, they simply chose to turn a blind eye and let each state handle these matters on their own, while the federal government concentrated all its efforts on completing the defense plan against meteors

As long as the plan can be implemented and the trajectory of the meteorite can be altered, Blue Star can be spared from catastrophic disaster, as the various disturbances and social issues triggered by the meteorite impact will naturally subside, and the government will only need to urge the states to carry out post-disaster reconstruction.

Meanwhile, the Yan Nation is installing heavy spacecraft on the surface of the large asteroid that was blasted apart, utilizing the moon's gravity, the spacecraft's own thrust, and the thrust from the nuclear bomb detonated by the Federation earlier to alter the trajectory of the large asteroid, steering it away from the collision course

This has also led to the situation where, in the face of this potential disaster, the general public can only rely on their own basements, and this is only applicable to the property-owning class who can afford single-family homes. As for the impoverished lower class, they can only live in apartments, and where would they find a basement to take refuge in

The fuel required for the entire plan has also been launched to the two space stations using the SLS system, awaiting the arrival of the two countries' spacecraft at the space stations

As for the remaining small fragments of the meteorite, it will be the task of the Lucians, who will guide a large number of nuclear warheads launched from Blue Star to conduct a saturation nuclear strike on the fragments until they are shattered

If the entire plan goes smoothly, then a large asteroid with a diameter of over 10 kilometers, which could potentially cause human extinction, will likely be destroyed into a pile of debris in near-Earth orbit, and then burn up completely upon entering the atmosphere

In order to achieve this step, over the course of these three months, Yan Country expedited the completion of the Tiangong space station, while the Federation conducted a major overhaul of the International Space Station. Both countries respectively dispatched a total of six astronauts to oversee the operations of the two space stations, ensuring that fuel refueling services could be provided for the spacecraft of both Yan Country and the Federation

After discussions, the United Nations task force decided to adjust the plan, allowing the Federation personnel to land on the surface of the asteroid to execute their plan, drill holes to place nuclear bombs, and then detonate the asteroid to split it into two parts, one large and one small, thereby reducing the weight of the main body of the asteroid

Only the space shuttle of the Federation possesses such capabilities to carry payloads and to take off again after landing in the entire world

However, despite the various issues and significant responsibilities each country faces, there has been no compromise in their defense plans against meteorites. All nations have mobilized every resource and all available forces to ensure the execution of the three plans

As for the Lucians, since they are responsible for intercepting meteors, they will only come up after the actions of the Flame Nation and the Federation have commenced. After all, their task is merely to guide the nuclear missiles, which does not require them to launch their spacecraft so early.

Whether believers with religious faith or atheists, at this moment, all are sincerely praying for the successful completion of this plan

This rescue operation, which concerns the fate of all humanity, has also captured the attention of everyone on Blue Planet at this time, with major media outlets and television stations providing continuous live coverage 24 hours a day.

Although it is said that "Peaceful America, gun battles every day," it is after all a country that has not been directly affected by either of the two World Wars on its own soil. In dealing with potential disasters, the people of the Federation have maintained a kind of optimism that is incomprehensible to the citizens of other countries, and they even lack a significant sense of crisis

According to the plan of the Federation, they not only need to carry nuclear bombs used to propel or detonate asteroids, but also drilling machines for boring, as well as crew members to operate the drilling machines and place the nuclear bombs. Furthermore, they need to land on the surface of the asteroid after carrying all these items.

Indeed, the truly wealthy individuals are those who construct their own shelters, equipped with all necessary living facilities and various supplies, which is certainly unmatched by other countries

As China, the United States, and Russia have made preparations to respond, the meteorite has finally begun to approach the lunar orbit, heading towards the blue planet

The federal authorities have brought out the two space shuttles, Atlantis and Endeavour, which had already been decommissioned. Under a cost-irrelevant overhaul and maintenance, these two aging spacecraft, which have been in service for over 20 years, have once again been transported to the launch pad

Under the attention of six billion people worldwide, the spacecraft of Yan Country and the space shuttle of the Federation arrived at the Tiangong Space Station and the International Space Station, respectively, and began fueling operations.

The federation certainly has shelters and nuclear bunkers, but the vast majority of these were constructed during the Cold War

With the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the federation has become the world's only superpower and the foremost military power, making the domestic situation quite secure. Consequently, these shelters and bunkers have gradually lost their function and have been abandoned

There may be some large fragments that ultimately fall onto the Blue Planet, causing meteorite impacts, but such debris-level meteorite impacts are still within the range that human civilization can endure

As the execution core of the three plans, the spacecrafts of China, the United States, and Russia have been working overtime over the past few months, and are now completed, awaiting the arrival of the meteorite to commence the execution of the plans

Due to the unique political system where each federal state governs itself, the situation varies across the federation. In some states, the conditions are relatively good, with the populace orderly stockpiling supplies and digging shelters, actively preparing for the impending disaster. However, in other states, chaos has already descended that is worse than that of Britain or Gaul, and the local state governments have lost their ability to control the situation