China Successfully Launches Long March-12 Rocket from New Commercial Spaceport

China achieved a significant milestone on Saturday with the successful launch of its Long March-12 carrier rocket from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in the southern island province of Hainan. The rocket, which launched at 10:25 p.m. Beijing Time, successfully sent two experimental satellites into their planned orbits, marking the complete success of the mission by 10:48 p.m.

This mission was the maiden flight of the Long March-12 rocket and the first launch from the newly built Hainan commercial spaceport. The launch site, which began construction in July 2022 with an investment of over 4 billion Yuan ($553 million), is China’s first designed specifically for commercial space missions. It was developed and is operated by the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Co., Ltd. (HICAL), and includes facilities for rocket assembly, spacecraft testing, fuel storage, and more.

The site benefits from its location at a latitude of 20 degrees north, allowing for increased rocket payload capacity and reduced fuel costs. Its coastal position also offers advantages for transporting rockets and recovering reusable launch vehicles, with HICAL working on experiments involving vertical landings and sea recovery of rockets.

With two launch pads capable of handling various rocket types, the site has the potential for 16 launches annually per pad. In addition to its launch capacity, the site is helping to grow the commercial space industry in Hainan, with major Chinese companies like i-Space, Galactic Energy, and Land Space setting up operations there.

Looking ahead, Hainan is poised to become a hub for commercial space activities, with the government planning to further support this sector through infrastructure development and talent