China’s Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site logs its 50th launch mission
Wire desk byline Sourced from Xinhua, Dawn, Arab News, Anadolu and Minute Mirror. Translated and abridged by the GSRRA Desk.
A Long March-7A carrier rocket carrying the Tianlian III-01 satellite blasts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Wenchang, south China’s Hainan Province, July 29, 2026. Launched at 7:50 p.m. (Beijing Time) aboard the rocket, the satellite entered the preset orbit successfully. (Photo by Meng Zhongde/Xinhua)
As the Long March-7A carrier rocket successfully sent the Tianlian III-01 satellite into its preset orbit on Wednesday, China’s Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site accomplished its 50th launch mission since beginning operations in 2016.
It demonstrates that China’s new-generation high-thrust carrier rockets are able to deliver stable and high-density launches on a routine basis.
Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site, on the coast of the southern island province of Hainan, is the first modern, environmentally friendly space launch site independently designed and constructed by China.
With three multi-azimuth, all-weather, heavy-lift launch complexes, the launch site features low-latitude location, broad launch azimuth range, high launch efficiency, few transportation constraints, and high-safety rocket-fall zones.
Over the years, the launch site has seen its technicians overcome key technical challenges posed by Hainan’s harsh natural conditions, including high temperatures, high humidity, heavy salt spray and frequent typhoons.
Under scheduled plans, the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site will conduct the Chang’e-7 lunar exploration mission this year. In the future, it will also undertake major missions such as China’s manned lunar-landing programs and the maiden flight of heavy-lift launch vehicles, providing strong support for the country’s space programs. ■
This long-exposure photo taken on July 29, 2026 shows a Long March-7A carrier rocket carrying the Tianlian III-01 satellite blasting off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Wenchang, south China’s Hainan Province. Launched at 7:50 p.m. (Beijing Time) aboard the rocket, the satellite entered the preset orbit successfully. (Photo by Meng Zhongde/Xinhua)
A Long March-7A carrier rocket carrying the Tianlian III-01 satellite blasts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Wenchang, south China’s Hainan Province, July 29, 2026. Launched at 7:50 p.m. (Beijing Time) aboard the rocket, the satellite entered the preset orbit successfully. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)
A Long March-7A carrier rocket carrying the Tianlian III-01 satellite blasts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Wenchang, south China’s Hainan Province, July 29, 2026. Launched at 7:50 p.m. (Beijing Time) aboard the rocket, the satellite entered the preset orbit successfully. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)
A Long March-7A carrier rocket carrying the Tianlian III-01 satellite blasts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Wenchang, south China’s Hainan Province, July 29, 2026. Launched at 7:50 p.m. (Beijing Time) aboard the rocket, the satellite entered the preset orbit successfully. (Photo by Meng Zhongde/Xinhua)
A Long March-7A carrier rocket carrying the Tianlian III-01 satellite blasts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Wenchang, south China’s Hainan Province, July 29, 2026. Launched at 7:50 p.m. (Beijing Time) aboard the rocket, the satellite entered the preset orbit successfully. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)
A Long March-7A carrier rocket carrying the Tianlian III-01 satellite blasts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Wenchang, south China’s Hainan Province, July 29, 2026. Launched at 7:50 p.m. (Beijing Time) aboard the rocket, the satellite entered the preset orbit successfully. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)
This long-exposure photo taken on July 29, 2026 shows a Long March-7A carrier rocket carrying the Tianlian III-01 satellite blasting off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Wenchang, south China’s Hainan Province. Launched at 7:50 p.m. (Beijing Time) aboard the rocket, the satellite entered the preset orbit successfully. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)
A Long March-7A carrier rocket carrying the Tianlian III-01 satellite blasts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Wenchang, south China’s Hainan Province, July 29, 2026. Launched at 7:50 p.m. (Beijing Time) aboard the rocket, the satellite entered the preset orbit successfully. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)
Reference Link:- https://english.news.cn/20260729/3b0a62324f4a41a5a5eae5cde4882780/c.html
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
