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Hainan, Sichuan provinces increase number of launches of China's carrier rockets to 180

Hainan and Sichuan account for 45% of all Chinese launches

HAIKOU /China/, December 25. /TASS/. Hainan together with the southwest province of Sichuan has brought the total number of launches of Changcheng carrier rockets to 180 in 2021, with the total number of launches in China of 402. This was reported by the China Aerospace Research Academy (CAECC).

According to the organization's page on the WeChat social network, the Wenchang Space Launch Center on the northeast coast of the island, together with the Xichang Satellite Launch Center (Sichuan) hold first place among China’s four launch centers and even bypass the country’s oldest space haven Jiuquan (North China), which launched spacecraft into orbit 124 times since 1958. Thus, Hainan and Sichuan account for 45% of all Chinese launches.

The last of them, as the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) noted earlier, took place on December 23 at 18:12 local time (13:12 Moscow time). The Hainan launch site used a CZ-7A rocket to send two experimental Shiyan-12 satellites into near-earth space.

According to CASC, the CZ-7A is China's largest (60.7 meters long) rocket. It was the third launch in the country's history. Moreover, Wenchang so far is the only place in China where technical conditions allow it to be launched into orbit. Other Chinese next-generation launchers only Hainan is capable of launching are the commercial CZ-8 and CZ-5 and CZ-5B, being the most massive (870 and 837.5 tons, respectively) of all the crafts developed in China.

As the Hainan Daily observers note, the province has successfully completed this year's phase of its space program and is preparing for new breakthroughs in space exploration in the coming year 2022.

The PRC is actively exploring space, developing meteorological, telecommunications and navigation satellites, as well as technology for lunar exploration. Chinese scientists are also conducting a parallel project to explore asteroids and Mars. A national space station is under construction in orbit and is scheduled to be operational in 2022. According to CASC, China is preparing to set a new national record in the number of launches this year.

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