Wenchang Space Launch Site

Common card · No. 409817

The Wenchang Space Launch Site (Chinese: 文昌航天发射场) is a rocket launch site located in Wenchang on the island of Hainan, in China. Formally a suborbital test center, it currently serves as China's southernmost spaceport. The site was selected for its low latitude, 19° north of the equator, allowing for larger payloads to be launched. Unlike launch facilities on the mainland, Wenchang uses its seaport for deliveries. It is the only launch site of the Long March 5, the heaviest Chinese rocket, which launched all three modules of the Tiangong space station. It is also the only launch site of the Long March 7, carrying the Tianzhou cargo craft to resupply the station. The site is expected to become the center of the China Manned Space Program, as the Shenzhou craft, launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, is retired in favor of the Mengzhou craft and lunar-capable Long March 10 under development at Wenchang. The construction of the site was complete by October 2014. The first launch took...

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