Wenchang Space Launch Site

Location

At 19 degrees north latitude, the Wenchang Space Launch Site is located on the Chinese island of Hainan, which is the nearest to the equator among Chinese territories. Low-latitude locations are desirable for space launch sites due to the higher speed of rotation closer to the equator, as well as the smaller inclination change maneuver needed to reach geosynchronous orbit.^[10] Hainan also has a large range of allowable launch azimuths, facilitating the launch of payloads to orbital inclinations between 90 and 175 degrees.

The launch site is considered to have favorable conditions for long-term development and international collaboration, thanks to its potential for expansion, low operational expenses, and relatively lenient regulatory framework. Rockets launched from Hainan Island are within 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) of the ocean in the direction of launch, and their trajectory takes them over the open ocean. This makes falling rocket debris less likely to cause accidents and destroy property.

Economic potential

Wenchang Space Launch Site is in the northeast coastal section of Dongjiao Town, Wenchang City, with a coastline of roughly 4,100 meters and an area of 7,336 acres, starting from the control area of the space launch site in the north. The project is designed to include a theme park area, a central lake area (commercial and leisure function), and an ecological coconut forest region (holiday and residential function), with a total construction land area of 6,046 acres. Hainan, as a tourist destination in China with many tourism resources is predicted to grow. This space launch site was included in Hainan Province's 11th Five-Year Plan in 2010.

Rocket configurations

The rocket configurations launched each year on either LC-1 or LC-2 :

Previous launches

Next launches

The first launch was a Long March 7 which took place successfully on 25 June 2016.^[5]

On 3 November 2016, the Long March 5 rocket made its maiden flight from the launch site.^[21]

On 2 July 2017, a Long March 5 launch failed to complete its mission to put a seven ton Shijian-18 communications satellite into orbit.^[22][23]

The third flight of Long March 5 occurred on 27 December 2019 from Wenchang LC-1.

The maiden flight of the Long March 5B variant took place on 5 May 2020 from Wenchang LC-1.

On 23 July 2020, the fourth flight of Long March 5 put China's first indigenous Mars orbiter/rover Tianwen-1 directly into TMI from Wenchang.^[24]

The maiden flight of Long March 8 occurred on 22 December 2020 from Wenchang LC-2.

On 29 April 2021, the core module Tianhe of the China Space Station was successfully launched aboard a Long March 5B rocket from Wenchang LC-1.^[25]

On 29 May 2021, a cargo resupply ship named Tianzhou-2 launched on a Long March 7 (Y3) rocket from LC-2 to rendezvous with the China Space Station as preparation for the upcoming Shenzhou-12 crewed mission.^[26]

• Launches from Wenchang
• 
  CZ-5 (Y1) rollout, October 2016
• 
  CZ-5 (Y2) rollout, 2017
• 
  Tianwen-1 launch, CZ-5 (Y4), 23 July 2020
• 
  Chang'e 5 launch, CZ-5 (Y5), 23 November 2020
• 
  Tianhe launch, CZ-5B (Y2), 29 April 2021
• 
  Wentian launch, CZ-5B (Y3), 24 July 2022
• 
  Shijian-23 launch, CZ-7A (Y4), 9 January 2023