It is expected that the launch will be carried out from the spaceport in Wenchang
HAIKOU / China/, April 9. /TASS/. Chinese authorities plan to launch four Hainan-1 remote sensing satellites into orbit by the end of this year. This was reported by the Hainan Daily newspaper.
It is expected that the launch will be carried out from the spaceport in Wenchang, located on the east coast of the southernmost province of China. The satellites with optical onboard equipment were developed by the Institute of Aerospace Information (IEI) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, whose branch is located in the city of Sanya on the territory of one of the innovation zones of Hainan.
According to the local administration, this is one of the key scientific and technical projects of the province. The program is implemented in accordance with the principle: "produced, launched and used by Hainan".
"If the launch is carried out in Wenchang, we will organize interaction between the local spaceport and a suitable company," explained Yang Tianliang, head of the Hainan branch of the IEI. As he specified, an important goal of this program is to ensure cooperation aimed at the gradual formation of the commercial space industry.
The Wenchang Spaceport on Hainan was built in 2014. The proximity of this object to the equator makes it easier to launch heavy launch vehicles. According to the government program, it will be used to put into orbit the modules of the Chinese space station, in missions to explore the Moon and Mars.
