Spaceport's milestone a major boost for Hainan space industry

Government boost

Zhang Rusheng, deputy director of the China National Space Administration's commercial space department, said China's commercial space sector has entered a new stage of innovative, scaled development.

The Hainan commercial launch site has achieved a 100 percent success rate in 10 launches and accomplished a dual-pad launch capability. Zhang said the administration will support Hainan in using Free Trade Port preferential policies to pool global innovation resources and turn technological advantages into high-quality development momentum.

Li Zhongbao, chief engineer of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, said the State-owned group is systematically planning the entire satellite, rocket, launch site, and application chain. The group will leverage Hainan's location and policy advantages to focus on core capabilities and expand integrated industries like space tourism, satellite data and the low-altitude economy, working with partners to build a new commercial space hub with global competitiveness, he said.

During the Wenchang International Aviation and Aerospace Forum on Dec 23, the Hainan Aerospace Technology Innovation Center and Hainan Weizi Daokong Technology Co released results from the Haishao series, China's first low-inclination orbit Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite.

Its low-inclination orbit enables the satellite to close the low-latitude data gap in Earth observation and provide a "full-sea-area positioning service" system, showcasing innovation in aerospace and marine technology.

Officials said the Haishao 1/AIRSAT 08 satellite has operated successfully in orbit for a year, calling it the world's first 350-kilometer ultra-low orbit.

They described the Haishao 2/AIRSAT 05 as the world's first integrated "remote sensing-communication-navigation aid" SAR satellite. Once networked, the satellites form an all-weather observation network covering Hainan and the South China Sea.

The Haishao 3 satellite project was initiated recently and will use a low-inclination orbit to enhance observation capability in mid — to low-latitude regions.

The series launch highlights Hainan's progress in building an independent and controllable satellite observation system. This system aims to form a "sky eye" covering both land and sea, providing more precise and real-time integrated sky-land-sea sensing capabilities for the construction of the Hainan FTP and supporting the development of Hainan's digital infrastructure.

Cao Shuyu, mayor of Wenchang and head of the Wenchang International Aerospace City Administration, said the city will focus on four areas: building a closed-loop "launch-recovery-reuse" system; cultivating a new satellite application ecosystem; expanding international application and trade channels for satellite data; and promoting deep integration of aerospace and cultural tourism.