China has completed the construction of its fourth and most advanced space launch center in Hainan Province, according to a China Daily report.
After five years of construction, the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center will soon start operations. Located on Hainan's northeastern coast, approximately 60 kilometers from the capital Haikou, the spaceport is China's first satellite launch site near the coast.
The space launch center's location gives it an advantage over the three other space facilities, namely, Xichang in Sichuan Province, Jiuquan in Gansu Province and Taiyuan in Sanxi Province.
The center's location of about 19 degrees north of the equator allows for strategic launching of geosynchronous satellites, heavy satellites, large space station components and lunar and interdisciplinary missions.
The location also enables rocket payloads to be increased from the currently allowable with the three other centers, giving rockets the ability to carry heavier satellites. It can launch spacecrafts holding 3,000 kilograms more of objects into space than is possible with the Xichang center.
Additionally, with the center facing the sea to the south and east, it does away with the risk of debris from launch vehicles dropping into residential areas. Its latitude also allows for fuel savings, according to China Academy of Space Technology senior researcher Pang Zhihao.
"A satellite launched from Wenchang is supposed to enable a fuel consumption saving of about 15 percent in rockets compared with launched from the Xinchang center. This is because its latitude makes for a shorter time for transitory orbit to geosynchronous orbit," Pang said.
With its capacities, the Wenchang spaceport will mainly send heavy transportation rockets, according to a Focus Taiwan report. It is expected to launch a manned lunar mission sometime in the future, the report added.