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China to launch four Hainan-1 remote sensing satellites by the end of 2021

Hainan's Wenchang Cosmodrome was built in 2014

HAIKOU, April 9. /TASS/. The Chinese authorities plan to launch four Hainan-1 remote sensing satellites into orbit by the end of 2021, reported the Hainan Daily.

The launch is expected to take place from Wenchang Cosmodrome, located on the east coast of China's southernmost province. The satellites with optical on-board equipment were developed by Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), a branch of which is located in Hainan's Sanya, on the territory of one of Hainan's innovation zones.

As the local administration clarified, this is one of the key scientific and technical projects of the province. The program is being implemented in accordance with the principle: "produced, launched and used by Hainan".

"If the launch is carried out in Wenchang, we will arrange cooperation between the local spaceport and a suitable company," explained Yang Tianliang, head of the institute's Hainan branch. As he clarified, an important goal of this program is to ensure cooperation aimed at the gradual formation of the commercial space industry.

Hainan's Wenchang Cosmodrome was built in 2014. The proximity of this facility to the equator makes it easier to launch heavy launch vehicles. According to state program, it will be used to launch modules of the Chinese space station into orbit in missions to explore the Moon and Mars.

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