People's Daily publishes article: How Commercial Spaceflight Soars to New Heights

In this pioneering startup platform with no prior precedent, various talents learn while working, and work while learning, accelerating China’s commercial spaceflight

Sea breezes pass through the coconut groves in Dongjiao Town, Wenchang, Hainan, bringing a humid and warm scent.

Inside the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site, the second phase construction site is bustling. Tower cranes swing their long arms, construction vehicles shuttle back and forth; builders are racing against time to lay the foundations for the new No. 3 and No. 4 liquid rocket launch stations…

This is China’s first commercial space launch site. In 2024, it will achieve a “from 0 to 1” breakthrough; in 2025, it will set a record of “two launches in five days”; by 2026, it will strive toward the goal of “hundreds of rockets and thousands of stars.”

From the desolate beaches of the past to today’s high ground of spaceflight, why has Wenchang become a hotbed for commercial space? How can an efficient “route” to the vast stars be opened up?

Commercial spaceflight emphasizes “business,” requiring cost reduction and efficiency improvement. To cut costs and increase efficiency, the first step is to enhance the “port’s” throughput capacity. Entering the launch site, Launch Station No. 2 stands out. It is not a custom-made “one rocket, one station” setup but China’s first universal station, capable of accommodating over 10 rocket companies and more than 20 types of rockets. Yang Tianliang, Chairman of Hainan International Commercial Space Launch Co., Ltd., explains: “Through horizontal assembly, horizontal testing, and horizontal transfer, rockets can be launched directly from a lying position, with a turnaround time of just 3 days in the launch area.” The process reengineering enables this “port” connecting to space to have high-frequency turnover capacity, making “queueing for launch” possible.

An efficient “port” creates an industrial clustering effect of “front shop, back factory.” A few kilometers from the launch site, in the assembly, testing, and reuse factory of Interstellar Glory Group’s launch vehicles, technicians are debugging the upcoming Hyperbola-3 rocket. Chairman Peng Xiaobo vividly describes: “The launch site is like a dock, rockets are ships, and satellites are cargo.” Once the dock is built, ships and cargo naturally come in droves. When the rocket chain, satellite chain, and data chain are highly integrated in physical space, the original single launch node evolves into a “space logistics center” integrating R&D, manufacturing, launch, and application, greatly expanding commercial potential and industry vitality.

Making commercial spaceflight “soar to the sky” relies on unique policy advantages. After the full island closure operation of Hainan Free Trade Port, commercial space enterprises have new opportunities. Zero tariffs on imported scientific research equipment, orderly flow of data security, preferential corporate income tax… a series of policy benefits translate into real gains for enterprise development. Based on this, the Wenchang International Space City Administration actively explores the “Space +” model, promoting the application of space data in seed industry, forestry, marine, and other fields. The combined policy and location advantages attract capital, talent, and technology to gather here.

The enterprise prospers because of talent, and talent gathers because of the enterprise. Wang Zeyu, a post-90s operator of the摆杆 (balancing arm) at Wenchang Space Launch Guarantee Co., Ltd., works in the basic support team. “As a kid, I thought space was far away after watching sci-fi movies. Now, standing on the tower and watching the rocket take off from the摆杆 I maintain, I feel like the stars are within reach.” Young people like him are everywhere in the team, with an average age of only 33. They include both experienced veteran space professionals and newcomers from other fields. On this pioneering platform with no prior example, talents of all kinds learn while working, and work while learning, running at full speed in China’s commercial spaceflight.

Looking up, the vast universe stretches endlessly; beneath our feet, vibrant and fertile land thrives. The new year in Wenchang offers not only the comfort of coconut breeze and ocean views but also the passion to chase the sky. As the second phase progresses, the site will have the capacity to launch over 60 rockets annually. In the future, when “weekly launches” become routine, and space technology truly enters ordinary people’s lives, the new productive forces emerging from the deep coconut groves will surely send China’s dreams to higher and farther into the deep space.

(Article source: People’s Daily)