Commercial aerospace industry thrives in S China's Hainan

Installation of all four lightning towers for the No. 2 launch pad of the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center in Wenchang city, south China's Hainan Province was completed on March 24, marking a new phase in the launch pad’s construction.

Tourists watch the launch of a rocket in Wenchang city, south China's Hainan Province. (Photo/Yuan Chen)

As China's first commercial spacecraft launch site, the center plans to commence normalized commercial launch operations this year.

The construction of the commercial spacecraft launch site began in 2022, and its No. 1 launch pad was completed by the end of 2023.

At 8:31 a.m. on March 20, the relay satellite dubbed Queqiao-2, or Magpie Bridge-2, was launched by a Long March-8 Y3 carrier rocket from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site, drawing large crowds of people eager to capture the unforgettable moment.

First used in 2016, the launch site is the newest spacecraft launch facility in China, and the first coastal spacecraft launch site in the country to be opened to the public.

The Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site is closer to the equator compared to other launch sites, enabling rockets to save more fuel and giving them a higher carrying capacity under the same conditions, said Zhang Rusheng, deputy director of the Wenchang International Aerospace City Administration. It is so far the only place in China capable of carrying out heavy rocket launch missions.

Not far from the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center, the center's rocket assembly plant is under construction. In the future, spare parts of rockets will be transported by sea to Wenchang for assembly and will even be produced in the city.

With three sides facing the sea, Wenchang is ideally situated, making it highly suitable for rocket recovery. Zhang said the Wenchang International Aerospace City is constructing a marine rocket recovery platform.

Thanks to its exceptional advantageous geographic location, Wenchang has been endowed with perfect natural conditions for developing the aerospace industry.

Photo taken on Dec. 29, 2023 shows a scene at the completion ceremony of the No. 1 launch pad of the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center in Wenchang city, south China's Hainan Province. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

The No. 1 launch pad of the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center serves as the dedicated site for China's Long March-8 carrier rockets.

"In the past, China's rocket launch pads were designed specifically for one or a few types of rockets. But now, with the increasing demand for commercial aerospace launches, the No. 2 launch pad of the launch center has been designed for as many as 19 types of rockets from nine manufacturers," said Guo Qiang, deputy Party chief of Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Co., Ltd.

In recent years, with the continuous updating of China's satellite technology, the commercial aerospace industry has developed rapidly, leading to growing demand in the commercial space market.

According to experts’ analysis, the number of the country's commercial satellites in orbit is expected to exceed 1,200 within five years.

In 2021, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce jointly released opinions on special measures to relax market access in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), calling for access to the commercial aerospace market in Hainan to be optimized and the development of commercial aerospace industry chains to be promoted.

China's Central Economic Work Conference held in December 2023 highlighted the commercial aerospace sector as one of the country's strategic emerging industries for the first time.

In 2024, the government work report of Hainan Province proposed cultivating new quality productive forces focusing on new fields like aerospace, with the aim of achieving routine launches at the commercial aerospace launch site.

Each of the two launch pads of the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center is expected to launch 16 times a year in the future, a rate seen as highly efficient.

"More launch pads will be built along the coastline in the future so that one rocket can be launched every week," Guo said.

Leveraging its core strengths in aerospace data, supercomputing, and data centers, the Wenchang aerospace supercomputing center, with an investment of 1.2 billion yuan ($165.98 million), provides comprehensive computing power support for domestic and international universities, research institutions, enterprises, and government agencies, according to Ye Shiyang, chairman of Wenchang Aerospace Supercomputing Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd.

A commercial aerospace industry cluster is gradually taking shape in Wenchang. To date, the Wenchang International Aerospace City has attracted more than 2,600 enterprises, including over 500 aerospace companies.

"We will accelerate the construction of the sci-tech innovation public platform and the formation of a commercial aerospace industry cluster represented by the rocket chain, satellite chain, and data chain, allowing the commercial aerospace sector to make greater contributions to the construction of the Hainan FTP," said Liu Chong, mayor of Wenchang and director of the Wenchang International Aerospace City Administration.