The CX740 shuttle crossed the Arctic Orbit, flying out from the Earth's shadow, with its high-temperature coating appearing snow-white, almost glaring under the star's glow.
This was its one hundred seventy-fifth mission, and also its last. These aging shuttles, born in the last century, are gradually being replaced by a new generation of cargo rockets and Space Elevators. Meanwhile, a second Space Elevator is under construction in New Guinea, with a new Airport emerging alongside it. The completion of this construction will mark the end of this type of shuttle's era.
As the shuttle enters the transfer orbit, Tang Xin can see the immense construction in progress, like a speck of light in the distant sky, blinking slightly. The new port is funded and built by China, and it has a resonant name—Ring of Asia-Pacific.
