Key Information

Summary

China is currently building a new space launch facility near Wenchang City on the Hainan Island. Once completed, it will be the country’s fourth satellite launch centre and replace the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre (XSLC) for geosynchronous orbit (GEO) and other space launch missions. It will also be the only space launch facility capable of supporting China’s new-generation ChangZheng 5 (CZ-5) heavy-load space launch vehicle, as the 5m diameter core stage of the launch vehicle exceeds the size limit for rail transportation from the launcher manufacture plant to any of the existing inland launch centres.

The new Wenchang launch centre will launch satellites and other spacecraft for a wide range of domestic and foreign customers. Hainan Island’s proximity to the equator gives the new launch centre a distinctive advantage over three existing launch centres in China. Located only 19 degrees north, the new launch centre allows a substantial increase of payload mass. For example, compared to the existing Xichang launch centre, a GEO satellite launched from Wenchang will be able to extend its service life by three years as a result of the fuel saved from the shorter manoeuvre from the transit orbit to GEO.

Additionally, as the new launch centre faces the sea in three directions, there is no danger of debris of the used launch vehicles falling into residential areas. In contrast, all three existing launch centres have densely populated regions under their flight paths.

The building of the launch centre was officially approved by the Chinese government in August 200, and the news was announced in September 2007. Construction of the launch centre will begin in November 2008 and the first phase of the construction is expected to be completed by 2012 and the launch will be ready for launch missions by 2013 [1]. The total cost of the first phase was reported to be RMB5 billion (US$ 730 million).

Once the new launch centre in Wenchang is fully operational, most GEO launch missions will be relocated here from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre. Xichang will continue serve as a backup launch site, but the majority of its staffs will be redeployed to Wenchang.

Launch Facility

The first phase of the launch centre will cover an area of 20km2, and the second phase will cover a further 30km2. The launch centre will have two launch pads and possibly a third in the future, a launch vehicle assembly plant, and a mission command and control centre (MCCC). During an exhibition held in Hainan Province in April 2007, a model of the Wenchang Satellite Launch Centre showed the first launch complex consisting of a vertical LV processing building and a mobile launch pad.

Components of the CZ-5 launch vehicle will be transported from its manufacturing plant in Tianjin by sea. Satellites will be transported to the launch centre by air. Once arriving at the launch centre, the launch vehicle and satellite will be moved to the technical complex, where they are assembled and tested. The launch vehicle will be assembled and lifted into the vertical position within the LV processing building on a mobile launch pad, and then integrated with the satellite. The mobile launch pad will then move the launch vehicle and satellite from the processing building to the launch complex, where fuels and gases are pumped on board . After checking all systems, the launch vehicle will be ready for launch.

Additionally, the local government is planning to build a space theme park nearby, where tourists will be able to watch launches taking place. The theme park will include an aerospace museum, spaceflight simulators, etc.

Location

Hainan Island is off the southern coast of the PRC, separating the South China Sea from the Gulf of Tongking. It is located southeast of Hanoi, Vietnam, across the Gulf of Tongking. The site for the new launch centre was chosen in Wenchang City on the northeast part of the island. The city covers a region of 2,403 square kilometres (19°20~20°10'N, 108°21'~111°03'E). The city faces oceans in north, east, and south directions, with a total of 206.7km coastline. The main launch complex will be built in an 30 square kilometres area in Dongjiao town and Longlou town, about 40 minutes by car from Wenchang. The launch pad is about 800m away from the seaside.

Chronology

• For years China had been studying the feasibility of building a space launch centre on the country’s southern coast region close to equator to give a payload advantage over the existing inland launch sites. One possible location for the new launch centre is the Hainan Island, the southernmost province in the PRC. The idea was first raised in the 1970s but did not catch much attention. The idea was first raised in the 1970s but the island’s proximity to the sea also made it vulnerable to foreign military attacks. Following the end of the Cold War, the proposal re-emerged and had been discussed within the Chinese space industry. At the same time, the Hainan Province government had been actively lobbying the central government and space industry authorities to push the project forward, in a hope that the space launch centre would help develop the province’s economy and tourism.

• Mid-1980s: A sub-orbital rocket launch site was built in the Hainan Island, with five successful launches of the ZhiNu sounding rocket between 1988 and 2006.

• 1994: A preliminary research on the feasibility of a new satellite launch centre was initiated and a report on its findings was published in 1996.

• 2002: Search for the location of future launch centre began. A number of locations in the Hainan Island were evaluated, including Wenchang, Qionghai, and Sanya. Longlou Town in the Wenchang City was finally chosen in 2005 as the location.

  August 2007: The State Council and Central Military Commission finally gave go-ahead to the project. This decision was announced by the state media in September. Construction of the launch centre will begin in November 2008 and the first phase of the construction is expected to be completed by 2012 and the launch will be ready for launch missions by 2013.

Reference

1. 文昌航天发射中心征地工作启动 于2012年建成, 南海网, 30 October 2007

Last updated: 15 October 2008