Hainan Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site

China Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site
文昌航天发射场
Location within Hainan
General information
Status	In use
Location	Wenchang, Hainan, China
Coordinates	19°36′52.17″N 110°57′4.08″E / 19.6144917°N 110.9511333°E / 19.6144917; 110.9511333
Opened	2014

Coordinates: 19°36′52″N 110°57′04″E / 19.614354°N 110.951057°E / 19.614354; 110.951057

Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site (文昌航天发射场), located in Wenchang, Hainan, China. It is one of the two spacecraft launch sites of Xichang Satellite Launch Center (the other site is in Xichang).

It is a former sub-orbital test center. It is China's fourth and southernmost space vehicle launch facility (spaceport). It has been specially selected for its low latitude, which is only 19 degrees north of the equator, which will allow for a substantial increase in payload, necessary for the future manned program, space station and deep space exploration program. Furthermore, it is capable of launching the new heavy-lift Long March 5 booster.

Unlike the space centers on the mainland whose rail tracks are too narrow to transport the new five meter core boosters, Wenchang will use its sea port for deliveries. Initial launches of the CZ-5 booster from Wenchang were, as of early 2008, expected in 2014, one year after the intended commissioning of the Wenchang Launch Site. Now it's already shifted to 2016. The CZ-5B (max payload to LEO) variant will fly around 2018. But CZ-5 carrier rocket was already shipped from North China's Tianjin port at 20 September 2015 for a rehearsal (some drills carried out on the launch pad that involves both the carrier rocket and a probe) of a scheduled Chang'e-5 lunar mission planned around 2017.