Long March 8 prepares for launch at Hainan center

The Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center in Wenchang, a coastal city in Hainan province, is preparing for its second mission: a launch of the Long March 8 carrier rocket, according to the new spaceport's general manager.

Liu Hongjian said at a news conference at the center on Saturday that the Long March 8 rocket has been transported to the center, and engineers from all relevant parties have been busy working on its prelaunch preparations.

The launch is scheduled to take place at the No 1 launch pad before the end of this year, he said.

Located in Wenchang, the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center is a joint venture of the Hainan provincial government and three State-owned space conglomerates, including China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.

Construction of the center, which began in July 2022, was undertaken by China Aerospace Construction Group.

Its No 1 launch service tower was completed in late December and is specifically tasked with servicing Long March 8 carrier rockets.

The second tower was finished in early June. It is capable of servicing 19 types of liquid-propellant carrier rockets, including those in the Long March family and models developed by private companies.

On Saturday night, a Long March 12 rocket was launched from the No 2 tower, marking the model's debut flight and the new center's first space mission.

"The No 2 tower is capable of servicing rockets of different sizes, ranging from the 3.35-meter-wide types to those with a 5-meter diameter. That means it is suitable for all of China's commercial rockets," Liu said. "Each of the two launch towers can facilitate up to 16 launches each year."

The commercial spaceport has become the fifth ground-based launch complex in China and the first dedicated to facilitating commercial space missions, which are generally paid for by a business entity rather than government-funded programs.

The Wenchang Space Launch Center, the other spaceport in Hainan, is, like the three other such centers in China — Jiuquan, Taiyuan and Xichang — administered by the central government and is primarily tasked with serving State programs such as lunar explorations and manned spaceflights.

Designed and built by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the Long March 8 has two core stages and two side boosters. It has six engines propelled by liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen and kerosene.

The model performed its debut mission in December 2020 from the Wenchang Space Launch Center.

The Long March 8 is capable of transporting various types of spacecraft to multiple types of orbit, but its main task is to place satellites in sun-synchronous orbit to meet the surging demand for launch services from commercial satellite companies at home and abroad, according to the academy.