Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center

Summary

40°57′29″N 100°17′28″E / 40.95806°N 100.29111°E / 40.95806; 100.29111

Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
Map of the chinese Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
Map
LocationEjin, Alxa, Inner Mongolia & Hangtian, Jinta, Jiuquan, Gansu
Coordinates40°57′29″N 100°17′28″E / 40.95806°N 100.29111°E / 40.95806; 100.29111
Time zoneUTC+8 (China Standard)
OperatorCASC
Total launches207
Launch pad(s)Two
Launch history
StatusActive
Site 9401 (SLS-2) launch history
StatusActive
Launches117
First launch3 November 2003
Long March 2D / FSW-3 1
Last launch24 November 2024
Long March 2C / SuperView Neo 2-03/04
Associated
rockets
Long March 2C
Long March 2D
Long March 4B
Long March 4C
Site 901 (SLS-1) launch history
StatusActive
Launches24
First launch19 November 1999
Long March 2F / Shenzhou 1
Last launch29 October 2024
Long March 2F / Shenzhou 19
Associated
rockets
Long March 2F
Site 95A launch history
StatusActive
Launches56
First launch25 September 2013
Kuaizhou-1 / Kuaizhou 1 (satellite)
Last launch10 July 2024
Hyperbola-1 / Yunyao-1 15-17
Associated
rockets
Kuaizhou-1 (retired)
OS-M1 (retired)
Zhuque-1 (retired)
Kaituozhe-2 (retired)
Kuaizhou-1A
Kuaizhou-11
Hyperbola-1
Ceres-1
Long March 11
Jielong 1
Site 96 launch history
StatusActive
Launches4
First launch14 December 2022
Zhuque-2 / various satellites
Last launch27 November 2024
Zhuque-2 / Guangchuan-01 & 02
Associated
rockets
Zhuque-2
Site 120 launch history
StatusActive
Launches1
First launch2 April 2023
Tianlong-2 / Jinta
Last launch2 April 2023
Tianlong-2 / Jinta
Associated
rockets
Tianlong-2
Site 130 launch history
StatusActive
Launches5
First launch27 July 2022
Kinetica 1 / SATech 01
Last launch11 November 2024
Kinetica 1 / 15 satellites
Associated
rockets
Kinetica 1
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
Simplified Chinese酒泉卫星发射中心
Traditional Chinese酒泉衛星發射中心
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinJiǔquán wèixīng fāshè zhōngxīn
IPA[tɕjòʊtɕʰɥɛ̌n wêɪɕíŋ fáʂɤ̂ ʈʂʊ́ŋɕín]

Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC; Chinese: 酒泉卫星发射中心; pinyin: Jiǔquán Wèixīng Fāshè Zhōngxīn also known as Shuangchengzi Missile Test Center; Launch Complex B2; formally Northwest Comprehensive Missile Testing Facility (西北综合导弹试验基地); Base 20; 63600 Unit)[1] is a Chinese space vehicle launch facility (spaceport) located between the Ejin, Alxa, Inner Mongolia and Hangtian Town, Jinta County, Jiuquan, Gansu Province.[2] It is part of the Dongfeng Aerospace City (Base 10). Because 95% of JSLC located in Jinta County, Jiuquan, the launch center is named after Jiuquan. The launch center straddles both sides of the Ruo Shui river.[3]

History

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It was founded in 1958, the first of China's four spaceports. As with most Chinese launch facilities, it is remote and generally closed to foreigners.

The Satellite Launch Center is a part of Dongfeng Space City (东风航天城), also known as Base 10 (十号基地) or Dongfeng base (东风基地). The Dongfeng site also includes People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) test flight facilities, a space museum and a so-called martyr's cemetery (东风烈士陵园).[4][better source needed]

JSLC is usually used to launch vehicles into lower and medium orbits with large orbital inclination angles, as well as testing medium to long-range missiles. Its facilities are state of the art and provide support to every phase of a satellite launch campaign.[citation needed] The site includes the Technical Center, the Launch Complex, the Launch Control Center, the Mission Command and Control Center and various other logistical support systems.

The center covers 2800 km2 and may have housing for as many as 20,000 people. The facilities and launch support equipment were likely modelled on Soviet counterparts and the Soviet Union likely provided technical support to Jiuquan.[citation needed]

Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center was expanded during the Third Front campaign to develop basic industry and national defense industry in China's rugged interior to prepare for potential invasion by the Soviet Union or the United States.[5]: 218 

The launch center has been the focus of many of China's ventures into space, including their first satellite Dong Fang Hong I in 1970,[6]: 218  and their first crewed space mission Shenzhou 5 on 15 October 2003. As of 2021, all Chinese crewed space flights, meaning all flights in the Shenzhou program including crewed flights to the Tiangong space station, have launched from Jiuquan.[citation needed]

In August 2016, China launched the first quantum communication satellite, the "Quantum Experiments at Space Scale", from the center.[7]

In August 2018, Chinese private rocket manufacturing startups i-Space and OneSpace launched sub-orbital rockets from the center.[8] On 25 July 2019, the first Chinese private orbital launch took place from Jiuquan as I-Space launched their Hyperbola-1 rocket.[citation needed]

Launch pads

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The launch site comprises two launch complexes, each containing several launch locations. All the launch statistics reported below are up to date as of December 2023.

North Launch Complex

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The North Launch Complex consists in two different launch areas, both currently inactive.

  • Launch Area 2: used for both orbital launches and ballistic missile tests.
    • LA-2A: used for launches of the DF-3 and DF-5 ballistic missiles and hosted the first Chinese orbital launches, carried out through the CZ-1 launch vehicle. It hasn't hosted orbital launch attempts since 1971. (41°18′32″N 100°18′59″E / 41.3088°N 100.3165°E / 41.3088; 100.3165 (LA-2A))
    • LA-2B: used for orbital launches of the CZ-2A, CZ-2C, CZ-2D and FB-1 launch vehicles. It has been last used in 1996. (41°18′22″N 100°18′48″E / 41.3061°N 100.3132°E / 41.3061; 100.3132 (LA-2B))
  • Launch Area 3: situated approximately 2.7 km south of Launch Area 2, used for launches of the DF-1, DF-2 and R-2 ballistic missiles.
    • North pad (located at approximately 41°16′59″N 100°18′17″E / 41.2831°N 100.3047°E / 41.2831; 100.3047 (LA-3 north pad))
    • South pad (located at approximately 41°16′49″N 100°18′16″E / 41.2804°N 100.3045°E / 41.2804; 100.3045 (LA-3 south pad) )

South Launch Complex

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The South Launch complex is currently active and consists in a main launch area used by CASC to handle the launches of several Long March vehicles and a variety of concrete pads for small rocket launches.

  • Launch Area 4: it's situated approximately 37.9 km south of Launch Area 3.
    • SLS-1 (LS-43/91): it has been used since 1999 for the launches of the crew-rated CZ-2F launcher and it's equipped with a nearby Vertical Assembly Facility. (40°57′38″N 100°17′53″E / 40.960671°N 100.298186°E / 40.960671; 100.298186 (SLS-1))
    • SLS-2 (LS-43/94): operational since 2003, it has been hosting launches of various medium-lift launch vehicles of the Long March family, including CZ-2C, CZ-2D, CZ-4B and CZ-4C. (40°57′28″N 100°17′27″E / 40.957893°N 100.290944°E / 40.957893; 100.290944 (SLS-2))
  • Commercial launch pads: situated in multiple locations south and east of Launch Area 4, they're used for small rocket launches of different government-owned and private companies.
    • LS-95: consisting in two pads, it has hosted launches of the Long March 11, Kuaizhou, Jielong 1, OS-M1, Hyperbola-1 and Ceres-1 launch vehicles. The first launch, a test flight of the Kuaizhou-1 rocket, took place on 25 September 2013, while the last one was a Kuaizhou 1A launch on 11 January 2024.
      • Pad A (40°58′11″N 100°20′38″E / 40.9698°N 100.3439°E / 40.9698; 100.3439 (LS-95A)), the most used, accounts for a total of 47 launch attempts
      • Pad B (40°58′21″N 100°21′50″E / 40.9725°N 100.3639°E / 40.9725; 100.3639 (LS-95B)) hosted only 5 launches.
    • LS-96: a single pad handled by the private company LandSpace for the launches of its Zhuque-2 launch vehicle. It has hosted 3 launches so far, two of which successful. (40°54′54″N 100°14′43″E / 40.9149°N 100.2454°E / 40.9149; 100.2454 (LS-96))
    • LS-120: a single pad handled by the private company Space Pioneer for the launches if its Tianlong-2 launch vehicle. It has hosted only one successful launch as of today. (40°51′20″N 100°11′57″E / 40.8556°N 100.1992°E / 40.8556; 100.1992 (LS-120))
    • LS-130: a single pad handled by the state-owned company CAS Space for the launches of their Kinetica 1 launch vehicle. It has hosted 3 successful launches as of today. (40°49′07″N 100°13′26″E / 40.8186°N 100.2240°E / 40.8186; 100.2240 (LS-130))

Launches

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Previous launches

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Date (UTC) Vehicle Serial number Launch Pad Payload Outcome Notes
24 April 1970 13:35 Long March 1 Y1 LA-2A Dong Fang Hong 1 Success First satellite launched by China.
3 March 1971 12:15 Long March 1 Y2 LA-2A Shijian 1 Success
18 September 1973 Feng Bao 1 LA-2B JSSW-1 Failure
12 July 1974 Feng Bao 1 LA-2B JSSW-2 Failure
5 November 1974 Long March 2 LA-2B FSW-0 0 Failure Maiden flight of Long March 2.
26 July 1975 Feng Bao 1 LA-2B JSSW-3 Success
26 November 1975 Long March 2 LA-2B FSW-0 1 Success
16 December 1975 Feng Bao 1 LA-2B JSSW-4 Success
30 August 1976 Feng Bao 1 LA-2B JSSW-5 Success
10 November 1975 Feng Bao 1 LA-2B JSSW-6 Failure
7 December 1976 Long March 2 LA-2B FSW-0 2 Success
26 January 1978 Long March 2 LA-2B FSW-0 3 Success
28 July 1979 Feng Bao 1 LA-2B Shijian-2A Failure
20 September 1981 Feng Bao 1 LA-2B Shijian-2 Success
9 September 1982 Long March 2C Y1 LA-2B FSW-0 4 Success Maiden flight of the Long March 2C.
19 August 1983 Long March 2C Y2 LA-2B FSW-0 5 Success
12 September 1984 Long March 2C Y3 LA-2B FSW-0 6 Success
21 October 1985 Long March 2C Y4 LA-2B FSW-0 7 Success
6 October 1986 Long March 2C Y5 LA-2B FSW-0 8 Success
5 August 1987 Long March 2C Y6 LA-2B FSW-0 9 Success
9 September 1987 Long March 2C Y7 LA-2B FSW-1 1 Success
5 August 1988 Long March 2C Y8 LA-2B FSW-1 2 Success
5 October 1990 Long March 2C Y9 LA-2B FSW-1 3 Success
9 August 1992 Long March 2D Y1 LA-2B FSW-0 5 Success Maiden flight of the Long March 2D.
6 October 1992 Long March 2C Y10 LA-2B FSW-1 4
  Freja
Success
8 October 1993 Long March 2C Y11 LA-2B FSW-1 5 Success
3 July 1994 Long March 2D Y2 LA-2B FSW-2 2 Success
20 October 1996 Long March 2D Y3 LA-2B FSW-2 3 Success
20 November 1999 Long March 2F Y1 SLS-1 Shenzhou 1 Success Maiden flight of Long March 2F.
9 January 2001 Long March 2F Y2 SLS-1 Shenzhou 2 Success
25 March 2002 Long March 2F Y3 SLS-1 Shenzhou 3 Success
29 December 2002 Long March 2F Y4 SLS-1 Shenzhou 4 Success
15 October 2003 Long March 2F Y5 SLS-1 Shenzhou 5 Success
3 November 2003 Long March 2D Y4 SLS-2 FSW-3 1 Success
19 August 2004 Long March 2C Y SLS-2 FSW-4 1 Success
27 September 2004 Long March 2D Y SLS-2 FSW-3 2 Success
6 July 2005 Long March 2D Y SLS-2 Shijian-7 Success
2 August 2005 Long March 2C Y SLS-2 FSW-4 2 Success
29 August 2005 Long March 2D Y SLS-2 FSW-3 3 Success
12 October 2005 Long March 2F Y6 SLS-1 Shenzhou 6 Success
9 September 2006 Long March 2D Y SLS-2 Shijian-8 Success
25 May 2007 Long March 2D Y SLS-2 Yaogan 2 Success
25 April 2024 12:59 Long March 2F 2F-Y18 SLS-1 Shenzhou 18 Success
30 October 2024 Long March 2F/G 2F-Y19 SLS-1 Shenzhou 19 Success

Upcoming launches

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Date Vehicle Serial number Launch Pad Payload Outcome Notes
April 2025 Long March 2F/G 2F-Y20 SLS-1 Shenzhou 20 Planned
October 2025 Long March 2F/G 2F-Y21 SLS-1 Shenzhou 21 Planned
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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Jiuquan Space Launch Center - Facilities - NTI". www.nti.org. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  2. ^ The clear division is controversial.
  3. ^ "This Military Base is Where China Blasts Humans into Space". Bloomberg.com.
  4. ^ "航天科技游圣地——东风航天城 (The Jerusalem of the space tech journey-Dongfeng space city)" (in Chinese). 新华网内蒙古频道 (Xinhua network inner-Mongol channel). 5 December 2007. Archived from the original on 24 July 2009. Retrieved 7 May 2008.
  5. ^ Meyskens, Covell F. (2020). Mao's Third Front: The Militarization of Cold War China. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781108784788. ISBN 978-1-108-78478-8. OCLC 1145096137. S2CID 218936313.
  6. ^ Meyskens, Covell F. (2020). Mao's Third Front: The Militarization of Cold War China. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781108784788. ISBN 978-1-108-78478-8. OCLC 1145096137. S2CID 218936313.
  7. ^ "China Launches Pioneering 'Hack-Proof' Quantum-Communications Satellite". space.com. Space.com. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  8. ^ Jones, Andrew (7 September 2018). "Chinese startups OneSpace, iSpace succeed with suborbital launches". Retrieved 10 September 2018.
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  • Base 20 Jiuquan Space Facility on GlobalSecurity.org