Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center

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
Location	Ejin, Alxa, Inner Mongolia & Hangtian, Jinta, Jiuquan, Gansu
Coordinates	40°57′29″N 100°17′28″E / 40.95806°N 100.29111°E / 40.95806; 100.29111
Operator	CASC
Total launches	135
Launch pad(s)	Two
Launch history
Status	Active
Site 9401 (SLS-2) launch history Status Active Launches 112 First launch 3 November 2003 Long March 2D / FSW-3 1 Last launch 15 April 2024 Long March 2D / SuperView Neo 3-01 Associated rockets Long March 2C Long March 2D Long March 4B Long March 4C Site 901 (SLS-1) launch history Status Active Launches 23 First launch 19 November 1999 Long March 2F / Shenzhou 1 Last launch 25 April 2024 Long March 2F / Shenzhou 18 Associated rockets Long March 2F Site 95A launch history Status Active First launch 25 September 2013 Kuaizhou-1 / Kuaizhou 1 (satellite) Last launch 11 January 2024 Kuaizhou-1A / Tianxing-1 02 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 Status Active Launches 3 First launch 14 December 2022 Zhuque-2 / various satellites Last launch 8 December 2023 Zhuque-2 / Honghu 1, Honghu 2, TY 33 Associated rockets Zhuque-2 Site 120 launch history Status Active Launches 1 First launch 2 April 2023 Tianlong-2 / Jinta Last launch 2 April 2023 Tianlong-2 / Jinta Associated rockets Tianlong-2 Site 130 launch history Status Active Launches 3 First launch 27 July 2022 Kinetica_1 / SATech 01 Last launch 23 January 2024 Kinetica_1 / Taijing (1-4) 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 Pinyin Jiǔquán 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

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 July 25, 2019, the first Chinese private orbital launch took place from Jiuquan as I-Space launched their Hyperbola-1 rocket.^{[citation needed]}

Launch pads

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

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

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

Previous launches

Date	Vehicle	Serial number	Launch Pad	Payload	Outcome	Notes
24 April 1970 13:35 UTC	Long March 1	Y1	LA-2A	Dong Fang Hong 1	Success	First satellite launched by China.
3 March 1971 12:15 UTC	Long March 1	Y2	LA-2A	Shijian 1	Success

Recent launches

Date	Vehicle	Serial number	Launch Pad	Payload	Outcome	Notes
25 April 2024 12:59 UTC	Long March 2F	2F-Y18	SLS-1	Shenzhou 18	Success

Upcoming launches

Date	Vehicle	Serial number	Launch Pad	Payload	Outcome	Notes
23 October 2024	Long March 2F/G	2F-Y19	SLS-1	Shenzhou 19	Planned
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

Image gallery

•  
  KH-7 satellite image of the Shuang Cheng Tzu Missile Center A (Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre) in 1967.
•  
  A warning board at the gate.
•  
  Launch Vehicle Vertical Assembly Building.
•  
  Tower 1 and 2 behind a sign.
•  
  Launch tower.
•  
  Launch of LM-2D (VRSS-1 / Miranda).
•  
  Roll out of CZ-2F (Shenzhou-12).
•  
  Launch of CZ-2F(Shenzhou-12).
•  
  Roll out of CZ-2F (Shenzhou-13).
•  
  Roll out of CZ-2F (Shenzhou 14).

See also

•  Spaceflight portal

• Chinese space program
• Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center
• Wenchang Satellite Launch Center
• Xichang Satellite Launch Center

References

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. (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.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

• Base 20 Jiuquan Space Facility on GlobalSecurity.org