HICAL

Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Co., Ltd.
HICAL
Native name
海南国际商业航天发射有限公司
Company typeState-owned enterprise
IndustryTransport
Founded2 June 2022; 2 years ago (2022-06-02)
HeadquartersWenchang, Hainan, China
Key people
Yang Tianliang
(Chairman of the Board)[1]
ProductsSpaceport operations and services
OwnerHainan Provincial Government
China Satellite Network Group
CASIC
CASC
SubsidiariesWenchang Commercial Space Launch Site

Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Co., Ltd., or HICAL, is a Chinese state-owned company that operates the Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site, China's first commercial spaceport. Established in 2022, HICAL is the first commercially incorporated company in China to independently own and manage a spaceport.

History and Launch Pads

Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Co., Ltd. (HICAL) was incorporated on June 2, 2022. The company is jointly funded by the Hainan Provincial Government and three state-owned aerospace contractors: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, and China Satellite Network Group. HICAL was established with a starting capital of RMB 1.5 billion.[2]

On July 6, 2022, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site, which is China's first commercial space launch complex, and which is fully funded, constructed and operated by HICAL.[3] Launch Complex 1 was completed in December 2023 and Launch Complex 2 is expected to be completed in 2024.[4][3]

Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site
LocationWenchang, Hainan, China
OperatorHICAL
Total launches1
Launch pad(s)Two
Launch Complex 1 launch history
StatusActive
First launchJanuary 2025
Long March 8 / G60 Group TBD
Associated
rockets		Long March 8
Long March 8A
Launch Complex 2 launch history
StatusActive
Launches1
First launch30 November 2024
Long March 12 / Demo Flight
Associated
rockets		Long March 12 (active)
Tianlong-3 (future)
Pallas-1 (future)
Nebula-1 (future)
Gravity-2 (future)
Kinetica 2 (future)

Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site

The Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site (Chinese: 文昌商业航天发射场), located at Wenchang, Hainan, is China's first commercial space launch site, and 5th space launch site. The launch site started construction in July 2022, and is expected to be put into service in 2024.[5]

The Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site is built and operated by HICAL, a joint venture of the Hainan government and three state-owned conglomerates. In China, a commercial space center is a site owned by an entity other than the Government or Military.[6]

Construction of the site started in July 2022, and the launch complex one was finished on Dec 29, 2023.[5][7] As of April 2024, the second pad is set to be finished by the end of May, with 19 different rockets from nine companies expected to launch using LC-2.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ Wei, An; Xu, Shuyang. "火箭"工位"准备中 海南商业航天发射场项目最新进展" (in Chinese). China Central Television. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  2. ^ "海南国际商业航天发射有限公司". www.iguopin.com. 国聘. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  3. ^ a b Su, Jiede; Liu, Mengxiao. "海南国际商业航天发射中心今年将实现首发". www.hi.chinanews.com.cn (in Chinese (China)). China News Service. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  4. ^ Liu, Mengxiao; Peng, Qinglin. "海南国际商业航天发射中心一号发射工位竣工-新华网". hq.news.cn (in Chinese (China)). Xinhua. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Commercial space launch site begins construction". China Daily. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  6. ^ Joseph, Joane. "Work begins on China's First Commercial Spacecraft Launch Centre at Hainan". GizmoChina. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  7. ^ Jones, Andrew (5 January 2024). "China completes new commercial launch pad to boost access to space". SpaceNews. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  8. ^ Jones, Andrew (4 April 2024). "China putting finishing touches on seaside spaceport for commercial launches (video)". Space.com. Retrieved 8 April 2024.