Wentian Launch! Why Is Wenchang So Crucial to China's Space Program?
Today, the Long March 5B Yao-3 carrier rocket ("Fat Five") was successfully launched, sending the Wentian lab module into space, which is about to dock with the Tianhe core module. The site of this world-renowned satellite launch is none other than—
Photo by/Fly_To_Space
As China's first coastal launch site, the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in Hainan boasts an unparalleled sea view. Just 800 meters beyond the rocket launch tower lies the South China Sea, where the water meets the sky. During each mission in Wenchang, tens of thousands of people flock to Longlou Town, which has a population of just over 20,000, to witness the romance of the stars and the sea and experience the greatness of the nation.
Each time a launch takes place in Wenchang, tens of thousands of people gather to watch it live.
The Wentian lab module weighs over 23 tons, is 17.9 meters long, and stands as tall as a six-story building when upright, making it the heaviest and largest spacecraft to date. Why is the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center, which only officially began operations in 2016, capable of shouldering such national responsibilities?
With Jiuquan, Taiyuan, and Xichang,
Chinese people's yearning for the universe can likely be traced back to the mythological legend of Chang'e flying to the moon. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, China successively built four satellite launch sites, turning the dream of "daring to reach for the moon" into reality.
Figure 1: Wenchang's launch environment: seaside and coconut groves;
Figure 2: Jiuquan's launch environment: inland and Gobi Desert.
Photo by/Fly_To_Space
From the Gobi Desert in the northwest (Jiuquan Launch Site) to the highlands of northwestern Shanxi with long winters and no summers (Taiyuan Launch Site), and then to the depths of the Daliang Mountains (Xichang Launch Site), half a century ago, China's satellite launch bases could only be built in sparsely populated areas—harsh, secluded, and mysterious.
In contrast, the "youngest" and most advanced Wenchang Launch Site is built on the edge of an island at the southernmost tip of the country, showcasing our national strength to the world with an open attitude.
Hainan Province, China's closest province to the equator.
Rockets: Lowering oneself to fly higher.
As early as the 1970s, Hainan had already caught the attention of aerospace engineers. However, the international situation of the U.S.-Soviet rivalry and the national strength at the time temporarily halted the possibility of building a space launch site in a low-latitude region.
Qishui Bay in Wenchang, one of the beaches closest to the launch site.
Why are aerospace engineers so fixated on low latitudes?
If the Earth were flattened, it would resemble a circular track. The outer lane must run faster than the inner lane to complete a lap simultaneously. Therefore, the lower the latitude, the greater the speed gained from the Earth's rotation, and the higher the initial velocity a rocket obtains from the Earth, making it more fuel-efficient to launch satellites.
Photo by/Fly_To_Space
How fuel-efficient is low-latitude Wenchang? For the same model of rocket, launching from Wenchang can save nearly ten million dollars compared to launching from Xichang. The saved fuel can allow a satellite to operate in space for an additional 2 to 3 years.
Although rockets appear to have a steel-like exterior, over 90% of their structure consists of fuel. Future moon and Mars missions will require the support of large rockets. As China's only low-latitude launch site, Wenchang has been entrusted by the era with an indispensable responsibility.
The Wenchang Launch Site is capable of launching the Long March 5 series rockets,
as well as the Long March 7 and Long March 8 carrier rockets.
Photo/Fly_To_Space
Rockets: Only by crossing rivers and seas can they go further
Location and transportation are another major advantage of the Wenchang Launch Site.
The "production site" and "shipping site" of China's rockets and satellites are different. The R&D and manufacturing are concentrated in Beijing and Shanghai, while the launch sites are the four major launch centers. Transporting from R&D sites to launch sites tests the location and transportation conditions of the launch sites.
The Puqian Port Haiwen Bridge is a crucial support for maritime transportation in Wenchang.
Surrounded by the sea on three sides, Wenchang is located in the northeastern part of Hainan Province, providing convenience for maritime transportation. In contrast, the inland launch sites in Jiuquan, Xichang, and Taiyuan can only rely on railways.
The approximately 1.435-meter-wide railway tracks limit the diameter of Long March rockets to within 3.5 meters. The "Fat Five" (Long March 5 rocket, with a diameter exceeding 5 meters), which is half a size larger, struggles to traverse mountains and rough terrain. The future Long March 9, with a maximum "waistline" of 10 meters, is beyond the capacity of railway transportation.
Rockets and satellites travel from Tianjin to Hainan roughly along this route.
Wenchang: A sense of security is competitiveness
Rockets launching from Wenchang ensure both rocket safety and human safety.
Climatic conditions are a universal consideration for all rocket launch sites worldwide. Although Wenchang is coastal, it has distinct dry and wet seasons, with its dryness comparable to the other three launch sites. Even though the Wenchang Launch Site is built by the sea, it faces no climatic pressure.
Watching rocket launches from Stone Park.
Rockets launched from the Wenchang Launch Site ascend into geosynchronous orbit in a southeastern direction. Within a 1,000-kilometer range in this direction, there is nothing but vast ocean. The debris from the rocket's burned fuel falls directly into the sea. The dream of aerospace explorers chasing the stars takes off under the shade of endless coconut groves, coexisting harmoniously with the countless lights of Wenchang.
Photo/Fly_To_Space
In terms of coastal advantages, Wenchang is not without competitors, such as Sanya in Hainan and Yangjiang in Guangdong. However, Sanya is not as safe as Wenchang, and Yangjiang does not match Wenchang's superior maritime transportation.
In an era where super rockets have become the new bet for world aerospace powers, the Wenchang Launch Site, with its advantages of low latitude and convenient maritime transportation, is currently China's only aerospace base capable of launching large carrier rockets. Wenchang carries the Chinese people's dreams of exploring Mars and achieving manned moon landings, determining the future glory of China's aerospace industry.
The Wenchang Satellite Launch Gantry bears the responsibility of launching large rockets domestically.
The more open and advanced Wenchang Launch Site itself reflects the growth of national strength.
The Aerospace New City, Emerging from the Ancient Town of Eastern Hainan
As one of Hainan's three major ancient cities, Wenchang has had its urban destiny rewritten by aerospace, transforming from "Hainan's Wenchang" into "the World's Wenchang."
Hainan's Wenchang: From Cultural Center to Transportation Hub
Located just dozens of kilometers from Haikou, Wenchang historically led Hainan's economic and cultural development for a long time. In ancient times, when Central Plains culture spread to Hainan and advanced south across the Qiongzhou Strait, Haikou and Wenchang thrived exceptionally due to their advantageous timing and location. "Rather than rushing east and west, better come to Puqian and Haikou" – the old street of Puqian in Wenchang still faintly reveals its former prosperity.
The historic old street of Wenchang.
However, in the 1990s, Wenchang began to be overlooked. The East Line of the Hainan Ring Expressway, which opened in 1995, bypassed Wenchang and headed straight to Haikou via Qionghai. Once the closest to Haikou, Wenchang suddenly felt worlds away. As a result, its economic development lagged for over a decade.
Wenchang has proven itself again with over a dozen successful rocket launches.
The turning point began with the favor of China's aerospace industry. In 2009, the Wenchang Launch Site officially commenced construction. Around that time, the Haikou-Wenchang-Qionghai Expressway was built, reintegrating Wenchang into Hainan's mainstream transportation planning. The construction of the Ring Island Railway could no longer ignore Wenchang either.
The Qinglan Bridge connecting Wenchang City and the Aerospace City.
Meanwhile, Wenchang's transportation infrastructure was also prioritized. The Qinglan Port, formed during the Ming Dynasty and quiet for centuries, was expanded into a national first-class open port, capable of accommodating the Yuanwang 21 and 22 rocket transport ships.
The Qinglan Bridge in the south connects Wenchang City to the Aerospace City; the Haiwen Bridge (Puqian Bridge) in the north links Wenchang City to Haikou, becoming a new landmark in Hainan's free trade zone construction. The coastal expressway connecting these two bridges has unlocked Wenchang's tourism potential.
The Yuanwang 22 transporting the Long March 5 rocket.
Photo by Wang Yubo (Starry Sky Meow)
The World's Wenchang: From Aerospace Center to Aerospace Tourism Hub
Sanya belongs to China, Wenchang belongs to the world. As China's first open coastal satellite launch site, Wenchang, with its cutting-edge aerospace launch technology, has also become the country's only aerospace tourism city.
Aerospace has created unique commercial value for Wenchang. To find out when China will launch a rocket in Wenchang, just check on your phone if there are any rooms left in hotels or homestays in Longlou Town. At that time, "outsiders" like migratory birds can be seen everywhere in Longlou Town's shops, restaurants, and taxis.
Trendy Wenchang has become a "social media check-in hotspot."
In Wenchang, the Aerospace Modern City, just over 20 kilometers from the launch site, is the country's best aerospace education base. Wenchang's aerospace breeding base controls the city's food supply. Drawing on the experience of the Kennedy Space Center in Orlando, USA, Wenchang is building Asia's largest aerospace theme park. In the future, Wenchang and aerospace will be printed on the same business card.
Wenchang is attracting an increasing number of student tourists.
In Wenchang, the influence of aerospace is ubiquitous. Aerospace Road, Lunar Exploration Road, Chang'e Road, Beidou Road, Tiangong Road, Wentian Road... The road names in Wenchang are full of aerospace characteristics, and even the street lamps are shaped like rockets. Xingguang Village, Meilan Village... Every plant and tree in the rural areas of Wenchang now carries the flavor of aerospace.
Roads in Wenchang filled with aerospace characteristics.
Photo/Fly_To_Space
Once, the more well-known cities in Hainan to outsiders were Haikou and Sanya. Although Wenchang boasts Hainan's longest coastline, half of its coconut groves, a long history, and delicious food, it remained relatively unknown.
Today, as a new landmark of China's aerospace industry, Wenchang has become a pilgrimage site for aerospace enthusiasts both domestically and internationally. Aerospace has transformed this ancient city, and its tropical charm has been rediscovered.
Wenchang: Bright and Profound, Lively and Resilient
Unlike Haikou and Sanya, Wenchang's tourist season highly coincides with rocket launch missions. Outsiders' affection for Wenchang often "starts with its appearance, grows with its talent, and remains loyal to its character."
Wenchang's coastline is bathed in bright sunshine.
Wenchang's radiant beauty comes from the gifts of the island. With its boundless sea and azure waters, Wenchang is no less impressive than Haikou or Sanya on Hainan Island, known for its sunny beaches. The spectacular sight of 500,000 coconut trees uniformly facing the sea is truly unique. After all, half of Hainan's coconuts are here.
The 2-kilometer-long Stone Park along the coast was the filming location for the "Birth of the Monkey King" in the 1986 TV series "Journey to the West." Rocks uplifted by orogenic movements tens of thousands of years ago have been shaped by daily tidal erosion over the ages, becoming masterpieces of nature. At the summit of Tonggu Ridge, the platinum coastline of Moon Bay resembles a silvery ribbon, greeting the first rays of sunlight on Hainan Island. Further east, at Qishui Bay, gazing into the distance, one can see the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center.
Wenchang Stone Park, a masterpiece of seawater.
But what is most captivating about Wenchang is its culture and ancient charm. This is Wenchang's profound talent.
The Wenchang Confucius Temple, known as Hainan's premier temple, is the only well-preserved cultural sanctuary on the island. Built during the Northern Song Dynasty and standing for over a millennium, it remained unscathed during the great Qiongzhou earthquake of 1605.
The Wenchang Confucius Temple has no main gate, only two side gates.
The temple bears witness to the importance Wenchang people place on education and the emergence of over 100 imperial scholars and jinshi in its history. The temple's main gate remains closed until a top scholar emerges, making it the only Confucius temple in China without a south-facing main gate. The unyielding pride and integrity of Wenchang's literati are vividly reflected in this stubborn tradition.
Wenchang's old streets still retain the nostalgic charm of everyday life. The arcades of Wen Nan Old Street and Puqian Street account for two of Hainan's three major arcade styles. In terms of beauty and南洋 charm, they are no less impressive than Haikou's arcades, yet they are quieter.
Wenchang's old streets, filled with南洋-style arcades.
Immersed in these streets, the vibrant local atmosphere of Wenchang is palpable.
Ordering a pot of "Dad's Tea" at a street-side teahouse can while away an afternoon. Picking up a piece of Wenchang chicken, dipped in garlic or sand ginger sauce, allows one to savor the authentic taste of poached chicken. Enjoying a bowl of sour and spicy Baoluo noodles, pairing seafood with fermented vinegar, offers a taste of Hainan's unique flavors. On hot days, a bowl of Qingbuliang (a refreshing dessert) is both cooling and satisfying.
Figure 1: Wenchang Chicken; Figure 2: Dad's Tea.
The well-preserved Shengli Street leads directly to Puqian Port, where one can still sense the atmosphere of a late Qing Dynasty port. Since modern times, Wenchang has sent the largest number of Hainanese to Southeast Asia, totaling 1.2 million. Many resilient and courageous Wenchang people set sail from here on small boats to seek their fortunes in Southeast Asia. Years later, those who returned in glory built the old town of Wenchang.
The entire ancient town is filled with an overwhelming love for the homeland.
In Wenchang, rocket launches do not disturb the lives of the local people.
After the Xinhai Revolution, Wenchang produced over 200 generals, earning its reputation as the "Hometown of Generals." It is also the birthplace of Soong Ching-ling, the wife of Sun Yat-sen. This once-small southern county made tremendous contributions to China's revolutionary cause.
The resilient patriotic spirit of the past and the aerospace spirit of today echo each other, shaping modern Wenchang.
Wenchang has become the new starting point for the Chinese people's aerospace dream.
Map Editors | Sun Lu, Wu Jiuyang
Map Reviewer | monk
Header Image Photographer | Fly_To_Space
Cover Image Photographer | Fly_To_Space
Official Weibo of "Our Space" New Media Center
The New Cradle of China's Aerospace Launches - Li Lingli, Qi Zhen, 2016
Research on Wenchang Aerospace Tourism Development Strategy - Yang Lu, 2018