Launch pad of China's 1st commercial launch center completed, inaugural mission set for next June

China on Friday completed the construction of the No. 1 launch pad at its first commercial launch site in Wenchang City, south China's Hainan Province.

The launch pad completed is dedicated to the country's self-developed Long March-8 carrier rocket, a new-generation medium-sized launch vehicle mainly for low-Earth and sun-synchronous orbits payload launch missions.

Eleven types of equipment and facilities have been installed at the launch pad with several advanced technologies applied for the first time, including a ground cone exhaust guide and a high-flow extrusion water spray system for cooling and noise reduction.

"Friday marks an important node in the construction of the entire launch site to ensure that we can carry out the first launch mission in June next year," Yang Tianliang, chairman of Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Co., Ltd., told China Media Group (CMG).

"At the same time, we are stepping up the construction of the No. 2 launch pad, which is also for medium-sized liquid-propellant rockets," said Yang.

Construction of the launch site began in July 2022, and regular launches are planned for 2024. So far, the equipment installation at the No. 1 launch pad has been almost completed, while the No. 2 launch pad is scheduled to complete its civil construction in February 2024 with on-site installation and facility debugging completed by the end of May.

Why a fifth launch site?

So far, there are four launch sites in China, namely the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, the Xichang Satellite Launch Center and the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site.

With the development of satellite technology in China, especially in civil satellites, satellite launches in batches and satellite constellations have become a trend.

That places high demand on the country's launch capability, with multiple launches every year. It also requires lower costs, as satellite networking is a continuous process, Guo Qiang, deputy secretary of the Party Committee of Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Co., Ltd., told CMG.

The two launch pads at the country's fifth launch site are both designed to support 16 launches per year. While the No. 1 launch pad is for the Long March-8 rocket, the No. 2 pad is designed for more than 10 types of rockets from nine manufacturers, and a higher density of launch will lead to a lower cost, said Guo.