China's first commercial spacecraft launch site to undertake more missions

China's first commercial spacecraft launch site will take on more missions in the future, said its builder, as the successful group launch of 18 low Earth orbit satellites on Wednesday marked the site's dual-pad readiness for upcoming missions.

A group of 18 low Earth orbit satellites was launched aboard the Long March-8 Y6 carrier rocket from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in in the early hours of Wednesday.

The satellites, the fifth group of its kind, have entered the preset orbit successfully, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). They will constitute China's commercial internet constellation Spacesail.

This mission marks the inaugural launch from the site's No. 1 launch pad, which, following the inaugural launch from the No. 2 pad on Nov. 30, 2024, signifies the dual-pad readiness of China's first commercial spaceport for future missions.

"This proves that our launch site is fully capable of launching various types of rockets. The No.1 launch pad has witnessed the successful launch of the Long March-8. The No.2 launch pad will be ready for the launch of the Long March-12 and other rockets. Our goal is to achieve 30 launches per year and realize a high-frequency launch schedule this year," said Yang Tianliang, president the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center.

The Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site is currently China's only commercially operated spacecraft launch site. Its construction began in July 2022, and the site's first launch was successfully completed on Nov 30, 2024. From groundbreaking to full completion and the inaugural launch, the entire process took only 878 days.

Now it is advancing the construction of the phase II project, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

After its completion, the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site will add an annual launch capacity of 30 to 40 launches, bringing the total annual launch capacity to over 60.

"Building a launch site like this one is to find another way to enter space. In the future, it will provide more opportunities for us to go to space and carry out work in space which we can now only imagine," said Yang.

China's first commercial spacecraft launch site to undertake more missions

President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Lee Jae Myung has expressed his hope that his upcoming visit to China will help eliminate past misunderstandings and issues, underscoring the importance of ties between the two countries.

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Lee will pay a state visit to China from Jan 4 to 7. It will be Lee's first visit to China since he took office.

In an interview with China Media Group (CMG) in Seoul on Wednesday, Lee acknowledged the existing misunderstandings and issues between the two countries, noting that addressing these issues is a key goal of his visit.

"The current international landscape is turbulent, with escalating issues among various countries. In this context, the relationship between the Republic of Korea and China holds significant importance for us. the ROK and China are deeply interconnected in many areas, including history, economy, geopolitics, politics and security. Northeast Asia's peace, stability, mutual respect, and common prosperity are crucial for both countries," said Lee.

"Admittedly, there have been some misunderstandings and issues between the ROK and China, which have hindered the development of bilateral relations to some extent. Therefore, the purpose of my upcoming visit to China is to minimize or eliminate these past issues, foster a leap in our bilateral relations to a new level, and solidify the ROK and China as partners that mutually support each other's development," he said.

ROK President hopes to reduce misunderstandings with China during upcoming visit