China has begun construction of its space launch centre in Wenchang City, on the northeast coast of the tropical island province of Hainan, scheduled to be completed by 2013.
The Hainan Space Launch Center, the fourth and the lowest latitude one in China, only 19 degrees north of the equator, would allow it to take part in more international commercial space launches, said Wang Weichang, director of the Hainan Space Launch Center Project Headquarters.
He said the site would be mainly used for launching synchronous satellites, heavy satellites, large space stations and deep space probe satellites. The centre consists of a space launch port, a space theme park, a rocket assembling plant, a rocket launch base and the command centre.
The centre is designed to handle up to 10-12 rocket launches a year, according to Mr. Wang.
He said China’s current three space launch centres in Jiuquan, Taiyuan and Xichang — all landlocked in western plateau and mountainous regions — lack commercial development and are inconvenient for transportation. Long Lehao, a career rocket expert with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said the Wenchang centre would increase the payload mass of rockets by more than 300 kg, 7.4 per cent more than that from the other three centres.
He explained that rockets to be launched from Wenchang would consume less fuel to get into orbit, because of its better location.
“A 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 the geosynchronous orbit.” Liang Xiaohong, vice-president of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, said the centre was likely to be the launch base for the new-generation Long March 5 large-thrust carrier rocket, which is under development.
