China's Wenchang spaceport reports double-digit launches in 2025

WENCHANG, Hainan -- China's Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site achieved a milestone on Sunday, conducting its 10th launch of 2025, in the first time it has seen double-digit annual launches.

The record-setting mission saw a modified Long March-7 rocket successfully send the Shijian-28 satellite into its preset orbit at 8:20 pm (Beijing Time), on the 611th overall flight for the Long March series.

The Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site -- the country's first independently designed and constructed green, eco-friendly modern spaceport -- currently operates two all-weather, multi-directional launch pads, and is capable of handling heavy payloads.

Since its inaugural mission in 2016, the launch site has successfully conducted 43 space launches, with its annual launch capacity demonstrating steady growth. It has a reliable, routine capability for the high-density launch of medium and large cryogenic liquid rockets.

This high-frequency launch cadence represents more than just numerical accumulation; it embodies the technological innovations and enhanced support capabilities developed by the launch site's technical teams.

"The key to achieving high-density launches lies in reducing rocket occupancy time on the pad, what we call the testing cycle," said Wang Yuliang, an expert on the launch site.

Facing the challenges of managing parallel operations for multiple rocket types, technical teams need to perform equipment upgrades and maintenance during mission intervals to ensure operational stability.

Through continuous technological innovation, the launch site has in recent years mastered critical technologies such as high-flow cryogenic propellant loading and kerosene-liquid nitrogen cooling technologies.

These breakthroughs have enabled the parallel testing and launch of multiple medium or large cryogenic rockets, along with the adaptation of single launch pads for various rocket types.

Looking ahead, the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site is poised to undertake more national-level missions, including crewed lunar landings, heavy-lift rocket launches, and planetary exploration, with its annual launch capacity set to reach new heights.