WENCHANG: China’s first commercial space shuttle was ready for operation on Sunday in southern China’s Hainan province, after completing a rocket launch simulation exercise using two launch vehicles.
Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Co., which builds and operates the launch pad. Ltd.
After evaluation, HICAL confirmed that the site is operational for recruitment.
Tang Tianliang, president of HICAL, urged the company to cooperate with satellite and rocket manufacturers to prepare for the first flight at the site.
Established in June 2022, HICAL is a joint venture between the Hainan Provincial Government, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation and China Hemra Network Group Co., Ltd. founded by
The launch site has an investment of about 4 billion yuan (about 560 million US dollars) and is located in the coastal city of Wenchang. It includes airfields, TT&C (telemetry, tracking and command) buildings, several rocket assembly buildings, spacecraft test and integration facilities, fuel storage facilities and other facilities.
It is located at 20 degrees north latitude, taking advantage of the low altitude, increasing the missile payload and reducing the cost of flight.
Compared to land airfields, coastal airfields are more convenient and safer because large missiles can be transported to the site by ship, which is important for commercial aviation services. A new purpose-built port is being planned by the Hainan Provincial Government.
The coastal location gives HICAL an advantage in recovering reusable rockets after launch. The company works with commercial rocket manufacturers to conduct tests related to vertical landing and recovery of missiles from the sea.
The launch pad, with two launch vehicles for liquid-propellant rockets and two more for solid-propellant rockets, will be completed in December 2023 and June 2024, respectively.
Pad 1 is intended for China’s next generation medium-lift launch vehicle Long March-8. Pad 2 is capable of launching various types of missiles of various diameters from commercial missile companies. Each pad has an annual capacity of 16 units.
On-site gas supply engines and systems can provide and supply liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen, kerosene, and methane.
Xian Dalin, deputy chief technical officer of HICAL, said the company will release a universal interface file for domestic and international commercial rocket designs.
By 2023, according to the Aerospace Science and Technology Blue Book, the country will complete 26 commercial flights in 2023, accounting for 39 percent of total flights.
China’s commercial aerospace market continues to grow rapidly since 2015, with a CAGR of more than 20 percent from 2017 to 2024. By 2024, the market value will be about 2.34 trillion yuan.
