Hainan is setting its sights on establishing a world-class commercial spaceport, a key objective for the region during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030). At a press conference held by the Hainan Provincial Information Office on August 17, Guo Qiang, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, Director, and Spokesperson for Hainan International Commercial Space Launch Co., Ltd., outlined the strategic direction. He emphasized that the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site will commit to this goal, serving the dual national strategies of building the Hainan Free Trade Port and strengthening China's space industry, with a focus on increasing launch frequency, reinforcing quality and safety, and driving technological innovation.
Guo highlighted the launch site's role as a catalyst for industrial development, aiming to help Hainan become a national benchmark for the commercial space sector. On August 16 at 12:10 PM, China successfully launched a Long March-12 rocket from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site, sending a batch of low-orbit internet satellites (Group 24) into their designated orbits, marking another complete success for the facility.
The Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site serves as the primary engine for commercial space development within the Wenchang International Aerospace City and is a core platform for the scale and market-oriented growth of China's commercial space industry. Having achieved a significant milestone from zero to one, the site has recorded 21 consecutive successful launches. Launch pads 1 and 2 are now in routine operation, the satellite super-factory production line is undergoing trial production, and construction is progressing on maritime recovery platforms and tracking, telemetry, and command systems. The advantages of Wenchang's low-latitude coastal location, coupled with its "launch-on-delivery and recover-for-reuse" capabilities, are becoming increasingly prominent.
Building on this momentum, the plan is to have launch pads 3 and 4 operational by the end of this year, alongside the rollout of the first satellite from the super-factory. Efforts will also continue on supporting infrastructure like transport roads and docks. The objective is to cultivate a high-density, highly reliable, and cost-effective commercial launch capability. Concurrently, major projects related to the rocket supply chain, including those by China Commercial Rocket, Kuaizhou Space, Tianbing Technology, and Jianyuan Technology, have commenced or are being initiated on site.
Guo outlined four key strategies for building a world-class commercial spaceport. The first involves accelerating the construction of launch, recovery, and tracking facilities to solidify the physical foundation. This includes completing the second phase of the launch site, bringing the new-generation universal commercial launch pads 3 and 4 into service, developing a maritime recovery system for reusable rockets, and establishing the necessary tracking and control infrastructure for both the initial launch phase and maritime recovery. The goal is to create a comprehensive "launch + recovery + tracking" hardware system to support high-frequency launch operations.
The second strategy focuses on enhancing launch efficiency and subsystem capabilities to build soft power. This will be achieved by optimizing the command and organizational structure, fostering integrated coordination among satellites, rockets, and the launch site, and establishing an efficient testing and launch process that allows for parallel multi-mission handling and seamless workflow transitions. Improvements will also be made to subsystems such as propellant loading, gas supply, tower services, communications, and meteorology, along with enhancing post-launch recovery speed and the level of intelligent, unattended facility management to increase launch frequency.
The third strategy is to strengthen quality and safety management systems, which are considered the lifeline of space launches. This involves deepening the quality management framework, reinforcing the authority of quality reviews, improving technical safety protocols, strictly implementing safety access reviews, and conducting rigorous checks at key milestones. A joint anomaly investigation mechanism involving satellites, rockets, and the launch site will be established. Furthermore, a comprehensive safety production responsibility system will be enforced to ensure the health and safety of all launch operations.
The fourth strategy is to build an innovation platform system to create a high ground for technological advancement. This includes establishing a technological innovation framework for the Hainan launch site, structured as an integrated system of platforms, projects, talent, and mechanisms. The aim is to foster a virtuous cycle where platforms support projects, projects cultivate talent, talent tackles technology, and mechanisms ensure operational stability. This is intended to make the site a source of original aerospace launch technologies, driving high-quality development and steady growth in R&D investment.
Guo underscored that the core value of the launch site extends beyond efficiently executing space missions. It is about comprehensively supporting Hainan in becoming a national leader in commercial space. He stated that high-frequency, stable launches should attract industrial clustering, strengthening the rocket, satellite, and data supply chains. The goal is to draw rocket assembly, satellite manufacturing, and component suppliers to Wenchang, fostering a complete industrial ecosystem that converts the launch site's locational advantages into competitive industrial strength.
Furthermore, Guo suggested establishing a launch brand through professional, market-oriented services. This involves exploring new operational models for the commercial space market and providing replicable examples for national reform and innovation within the industry. He also proposed cultivating new productive forces through application expansion, driving the growth of new business forms such as satellite data applications, space tourism, space experiments, space computing, space manufacturing, and on-orbit services. This shift aims to transform commercial space from a focus on "more launches" to "stronger applications."
Finally, Guo emphasized leveraging Hainan's openness to build a window for international cooperation. The Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site should capitalize on the free trade port's openness advantages, actively serving the domestic market while steadily expanding international commercial space collaboration to enhance the global influence of China's commercial space industry.