Escaping the Cradle

by Karen Page

Part 28

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Part 28
DATE:FC+121

Henry and Liam had known each other for a few years. They'd done a few things together, often with Evan. Male bonding. Watching a football match, or going to a pub that was actually still a pub. But Henry had always felt apart. Evan and Liam were scientists. Brilliant scientists at that. Both with brains that you'd think they'd need to enter a building via the lorry loading dock. Henry was an engineer. His talents were different, and that was respected, but he always felt the odd one out. They found it easier to communicate with each other than with him.

But today was different. They were in the stream of traffic heading north on the motorway, with the radio blaring a mix from the 2010's. There was no talk of work, but a steady patter about football, rugby, cricket, and even films. Even the roadworks widening the motorway between junctions 9 and 11 didn't put a cramp on it. Apparently five lanes each way would be good for the next forty years. Henry was sure they'd said something similar when it had gone to four lanes.

It was after a rest break where they grabbed something to eat while the car was topped up, that they heard the news. Chaos in Milton Keynes. This would have past them by, but it was where Becky and Ashleigh were heading, so Liam flipped to a news site on his phone. He burst out laughing and several people sitting nearby turned to see if they could see what was funny.

"What?" Henry asked, surprised to see Liam's reaction.

"There has been a sighting of Eos at an airport just outside Milton Keynes. It seems the locals have gone nuts and are flocking there, just in case she returns."

Henry joined in the laughter. "Good luck to them in getting back."

Replete, they went back to the car which had completed its brunch of electrons. Manchester wasn't too far away. Their destination wasn't in the centre, but to the northeast. The motorway around the city flowed a lot better than the previous motorway, and they were soon arriving at an old red brick building.

Originally it had been an old mill, built over a hundred years ago. It had been abandoned for a long time, before being modernised for a work hub. After the pandemic, it again fell into disuse, but it had found a new purpose as a modern satellite company. The only outer changes was the security fence that surrounded the perimeter.

The high ceilings that was part of the mill had been a quirky selling point for the work hub, and a must for the new company. It was what they had wanted, and they got it for a nominal pound. The owner had been glad to get rid of it and not have to pay for demolition.

The gate guard checked off their details and pointed them to the visitor spaces. There were four, and nobody in any of them. It wasn't the type of company that got visitors very often. Each grabbed a backpack from the car boot and followed the sign to reception. For a company that wouldn't get many visitors, there was a complete visitor reception with seats, a coffee table and water cooler.

It was their first visit. Previously Becky and Jessica had made the trip. Jessica, being in the satellite business had been very specific about the requirements. Her cool efficiency had been a welcome insight to the new company. It was obvious she knew the business, and they took the request as a template for other new business. Becky had provided a sample module so they could test the interface. They were told for security reasons the actual module would be provided on the day.

"Can I help you?" purred the blonde receptionist, liking the look of Liam.

"Liam and Henry from Star Bright," said Liam, giving the receptionist a friendly smile. "We're here to see Kevin Potters."

"I'll let him know. If you can please scan your fingers for identification."

"All nice and secure," commented Henry, as he placed his finger on the reader.

"Yes," the receptionist smiled. "One of our contracts insisted on it."

Liam smirked. It was Becky's insistence when they'd visited. The company previously had been quite open. One of Laura Taylor's contractors had validated the updates met their standards.

Two security badges were handed across. "You must wear these while in the building. They will unlock doors in authorised areas and will provide us location information in the unlikely event of a fire."

Kevin came through the doors as they were placing the lanyards around their necks. "Greetings gentlemen. I'm Kevin Potters."

The two Star Bright employees introduced themselves and they were taken through secure doors into the building beyond. It was a mixture of the old and the new. The building itself was over a century old, but the insides were ultra-modern. From the inside it was only the bricks that were old. The windows had been replaced with replicas that actually retained the heat.

After walking quite a distance along the length of the building, Kevin stopped by a window looking into one of the inner rooms. "Have a look."

It was the cleanroom. Opposite where they were standing was the satellite enclosed within a large plastic enclosure. The only part that was open was the front, so access for any final work could be performed. Liam gaped at it, but Henry's eyes opened wide, and a broad grin grew over his face. It was their test satellite.

"I believe you have a module to add to the satellite and for the launch box?" Kevin enquired.

Liam pulled himself together. "Yes. Henry can work with your people for that. Can we sit down somewhere and go through the plan for today?"

After dropping Henry off, Kevin led Liam upstairs and into a boardroom. Two other men were there; both had on single ear headphones with small mikes.

"Let me introduce you to Manreet Singh, and Dhru Patel. Manreet confirmed earlier that the communication relay to your office is online. You should be able to hear us on your loop."

"I believe the CAA were sending someone to monitor this," Liam mentioned, after he'd shaken hands with them all. "Any idea when they will be here?"

The Civil Aviation Authority weren't just aviation bureaucrats anymore; in the new era they were gatekeepers to the stars. Every launch pad, every returning capsule, every would‑be spaceport on British soil had to pass through their hands. Even what a UK satellite did once it was in orbit was still tethered to their licence conditions. And the stakes were brutal: one breach, one corner cut, and the Authority could slam the shutters down — making the next launch not just harder, but perhaps impossible.

"In the next thirty minutes or so, according to their schedules."

"Okay. This will be interesting to see. It took a lot of discussion to get the authorisation."

"Ah, they didn't like something new?" asked Dhru with a small smile.

"No, but I'm glad it was others that dealt with that issue," said Liam.

While they waited for the representative from the CAA, they got on with confirming the plan. It had been confirmed previously, but Liam wanted to make sure nothing had changed. Once that was done, he took out his headset. It was tied back to The Anchor.

"Testing," said Liam.

"Greetings," confirmed Evan. "We also have Jessica online. She's got the satellite module online from Henry and checking it out."

"Good to know. We're waiting for the CAA. Do you think Becky and Ashleigh will be back in time?"

"Ah, you heard about the rumpus. Don't worry, they won't want to miss this."

Kevin took a call. "I'll be back in a few. It seems two people from the CAA are here to witness this."

Liam frowned. This was unusual. Since this was the first use of the interdimensional tunnel, the CAA had said they were sending someone to observe and confirm that everything had been done safely. Having two people wasn't the plan. He then berated himself. He was getting paranoid. Seeing issues where there weren't any.

While he waited, Henry appeared, having been brought up by one of the technicians. "How's it going?" Liam asked.

"All connected. Jessica's checking things out."

Liam nodded. It was the same as what Evan had said. "Kevin's gone to collect two people from the CAA."

"Two? I thought they were only sending one!" Henry exclaimed.

"Yeah. Oh well, more people to marvel at the satellite. It's a bit bigger than I thought. I expected it to be a cube sat."

"Becky wanted it big to prove we can send big things just as easily."

"Yes, but even so," Liam said, getting lost for words.

"I brought Eos through that way. It's fine," reassured Henry.

"I know. I have no doubt about it. It's just..."

Henry guffawed and was still grinning when Kevin came back, the two CAA representatives in tow. Kevin quickly introduced them. "This is Monica Peterson, and Walter Heart."

Both were dressed in neat, navy suits, their official badges clipped prominently to their lapels. Monica offered a brisk handshake, her eyes sweeping the room with sharp interest, while Walter followed with a reserved nod and a polite, if slightly hesitant, smile.

"I have a few questions," said Walter as they sat around the table. "It's all strange having a launch of a satellite in the middle of a city. I've been told its safe, but can you clarify what you're doing for masking of the sonic boom?"

Liam and Henry shared a look. "There won't be any sonic boom."

"But..." Walter broke off, failing to comprehend.

"You might have seen in the press about the spaceships Aurora and Eos?" Liam asked gently. Jenny's friend Kelly was quicker on the uptake than this guy.

"Yes. But the launch licence doesn't mention you using either of those ships."

Kevin was sat at the end of the table, looking down trying not to laugh. He was glad he wasn't having to answer these questions.

"We aren't using any rocket, or spaceship," explained Liam, trying to keep himself reined in. "The satellite is in a container. An interdimensional tunnel will be opened, taking it directly to the designated location in space."

Monica whispered a few words to Walter, and he nodded. She then turned and asked, "The licence is for a launch with a wide window. How are you planning to insert into the correct location?"

"Good question," Liam said. "Since Earth rotates, we translate the absolute location at the time of launch. This isn't new for us. We do this for our spaceship launches."

Kevin picked up the discussion. "Why don't I show you where the satellite is. You can see how it is housed. Grab your items, we will go to the control room after."

"You didn't show them?" Dhru asked.

"I brought them straight up," said Kevin. "It should be all closed up now."

They all trouped down the old concrete stairs and Kevin indicated the window. The two CAA people surged forward to have a look.

"I thought you were sending a test satellite?" Walter asked, sounding aghast. "This is the size of a bus!"

"Not quite," said Dhru. "This is only six meters in length. Busses can be twice that."

"We asked for it to be this big," said Henry. "If we are going to do a test, we wanted to prove a larger object, so there is less concern later on. We've transported bigger on planet."

When SpaceX had launched the first Falcon Heavy, they'd sent up Elon Musk's old Roadster as a test payload. Other companies had sent up lumps of concrete. Test payloads didn't have to be special. They weren't going to do anything. For a lot of ships, they were there either purely for ballast, or to prove they could launch something. Satellite companies didn't like sending a real payload into orbit on a test ship; even when given the flight for free.

Star Bright could have launched something cheap, like a big rock, or even an old combine harvester, just to prove that they could launch without issue. But they'd got a company to build a test satellite so they could prove internally that their tunnel communications would work.

"Are we permitted to get closer?" asked Monica.

Liam noticed Walter scowl at that question, but Walter didn't say anything.

"No," Keven responded firmly. "This room is now locked down ready for launch. The only time it will be unsealed is in the event of a scrub, or when it has departed. Shall we go to our control room."

It wasn't a big room like you saw for traditional rocket launches where there were banks of desks. That was probably because they weren't controlling the launch. They were the bit after. They were responsible for the satellite until launch. Once it was in orbit, there was a handoff to Star Bright.

On the wall though were two large screens. The first showing video feed from the cleanroom. The second showing the current status. It had data fed from both the satellite company and Star Bright. The status of the launch controller and the satellite itself. Everything was green apart from two items – 'Launch Authorised' and 'Site Lockdown'.

"You've got a desk over here," said Manreet, showing Liam and Henry a spare desk with monitors and keyboards.

"Thank you. Perfect," Henry said, and took his laptop from his backpack. Next was a square box about 4cm x 4cm x 2cm which he placed on the desk, before finally putting on his headset.

"We're all setup," said Henry into his headset. He was on the private voice channel "We have two CAA observers."

"Two?" remarked Evan. "Aren't you lucky."

"Is everything as described?" asked Becky.

"Yes. This is a nice setup," said Henry.

"Becky, you made it," said Liam, with relief. "I hear the airport got a bit busy."

"It was a nightmare return," she said. "I'll tell you about it tomorrow, but there were crowds all around the airport perimeter. I'm just glad they opened the hanger door so James could position the front of Eos inside. It protected us from thousands of cameras."

"Perhaps we will go by car next time," Ashleigh added. "No launches that day."

"Okay, let's get back to work mode," Becky instructed in her professional voice. "Liam. You are onsite launch control. Is everything safe?"

"Yes. The room is locked down. The building isn't yet."

"Okay, let me know when that's done," Becky requested.

"Jessica, how does the satellite look?" asked Liam.

"All green. I can see telemetry via the tunnel and via their published route. All clear at this side. They are disconnected from mains power and ready for launch."

That matched the board, but Liam wanted to make sure.

Liam switched to the larger communications loop. "Star Bright is green. Standing by for site lockdown prior to launch."

"Site lockdown starts at the top of the hour," informed Kevin.

Liam muted his microphone and moved towards Walter. "Any issues?"

"So far, you've kept to what's described in the launch licence. It's nothing like the launches I oversaw in the Shetlands."

"That's a traditional rocket launch of mostly cube sats. This isn't a rocket launch and that caused a lot of confusion while getting the authorisation."

"You don't know the half of it. I keep going back to what I'm used to. Monica reminds me this is new. But safety is being followed, which is the fundamental principle of any launch. So far, there are no violations."

Liam was bored. They were waiting for the site to be locked down. They were waiting for their agreed time, and that was that.

"All good?" Liam asked Henry.

"Yes, still all good," he replied with a grin. "Bored?"

"I don't like having nothing to do."

"We are doing something. We're waiting."

The rumble of a lorry passing on the nearby road caught his attention. They were so close to the main road. There would be cars, buses, even people on push bikes going about their daily business unaware that in the old mill there was about to be history made. If successful, it would be the first satellite launch from mainland Britain. The only previous one had been from Newquay when Virgin Orbit had made a single attempt that had been unsuccessful. The only other place was in Shetland, so not part of the mainland.

Another first. Where would this end?

Liam heard in his headphones, "Front gate locked."

He looked at the time. On schedule.

The door to the control room had been locked since they'd entered it and the door leading to the cleanroom had been locked since Henry had finished in there. Apart from a fire occurring, nobody was going anywhere inside the building.

"All building entrances locked."

After a few minutes, the screen showing the launch status had Site Lockdown turned green. There was just one step to go. Authorisation and the satellite would be launched.

"I'm going to perform a quick go / no-go check to confirm we're ready," announced Kevin.

"Satellite tracking."

"Go."

"Secondary tracking."

"Go," said Evan.

"Satellite health."

Before the person monitoring that could respond, the power went out. The only reason they knew was because the lights went out, and the emergency ones came on. None of the computers even flickered as they were powered by UPS. On the status screen the Power value went from Mains to Battery and a few seconds after, Generator.

"Satellite health," repeated Kevin.

"Go."

"Star Bright, we are on generators. Can you confirm you're still online with us."

"We are," came Evan's voice over the link.

Walter spoke up. "Are you still within your power resilience plan?"

"We are," Kevin responded, pointing to the monitor.

"Just checking. Carry on."

"Site and Satellite are green. Launch authorised."

The status screen updated. Everything was Go.

Liam said. "Launch."

As soon as the status went authorised, it unlocked the button on Henry's screen. He clicked it. "Launched."

Nobody had been watching Henry. They'd all had their eyes on the CCTV feed from the clean room. They saw it there one second, and in a tick, it was gone.

Walter was stood there, his mouth wide open. Most others erupted in shouts of euphoria.

"Status?" asked Kevin, not having moved from his command position. Console operators rushed back to their seats.

"Awaiting acquisition of signal."

The status page changed from launch status to showing satellite status. Its location, vector and speed for both forms of tracking being shown.

Liam switched his microphone back to Star Bright loop. "Satellite gone. Anything yet?"

"It takes about twenty seconds to confirm location to dial home," said Jessica. Liam knew that, but he was anxious. It felt different in the control room, with outsiders watching. Especially Monica. She'd been stood close by most of the countdown.

Waiting. Things were quicker than they were when space flights first occurred in the 1950s, but there were still times where there was nothing to do but wait.

"Connection," said Evan.

Liam spun round to look at the status screen, and suddenly data under Tracking 2 started to appear.

A few seconds later, 'Tracking 1' changed to acquired, with the same location.

"It will take us a few passes to confirm trajectory," said the satellite tracker.

The atmosphere in the room began to relax. They'd done it. It was now just getting confirmation, but they'd got proof via two methods that the satellite had been delivered into the correct location. It was now about confirming vector and speed.

"Unlock the building," he called and then turned to Henry. "Do you need to collect your unit from the cleanroom?"

"I already have it," Henry replied with a smug grin.

Kevin and those that were close by swung round to look at the video of the cleanroom. They'd all been too busy seeing that the satellite had gone to notice that the control box had too. Monica looked disappointed, and when she was offered a tour of the cleanroom that she'd requested earlier, she declined.

"Was everything compliant to launch licence?" asked Liam to Walter.

"A rather strange launch. I miss the sound of the rocket taking off and the vibration of the ground. It just felt—" he floundered for words to express how he felt. "It felt empty. No passion. No excitement."

"I'd prefer a dull launch than excitement, though the power failure almost gave me heart failure."

"From that perspective, you're right and yes, you were compliant."

"So will future launches be easier?"

"I'm just an observer. I don't make policy. But I'm sure companies will want this. It's quicker, probably cheaper, and no launch vibration."

Monica came across. She'd been very quiet most of the day. "The interdimensional tunnel is so clever."

"Why thank you," said Liam.

"How do you create it?"

"That is a company secret," said Liam, his eyes narrowed. "And something the Civil Aviation Authority doesn't need to know."

"Of course," she said, and walked away.

It was a few hours before everything was confirmed using traditional methods. Methods the CAA were happy with.

"What a day," said Henry, as he placed his backpack into the car boot.

"But successful," Liam added.

When they got in the car, their phones both pinged with a message from an unknown source. "Tracking and listening device detected."

Liam and Henry looked at each other and burst out laughing. Their job was never boring.