The construction of the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in Hainan province, from where China will launch new-generation carrier rockets and future space station modules, is expected to be completed in June, the province's economic planner said.
By the end of this year, the launch center, the fourth in China, will be ready for launching carrier rockets, according to a report released by the Hainan Development and Reform Commission during the ongoing annual session of the provincial people's congress.
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The center will include a launch pad, a rocket assembly plant and a command center.
The Long March-5 launch vehicle designed for transporting heavyweight satellites and space station modules, as well as the Long March-7 rocket designed for launching cargo spacecraft, are expected to blast off from the center in 2014, the Beijing Morning Post quoted Liang Xiaohong, deputy director of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology on Saturday during the annual session of the Beijing municipal people's congress.
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Besides the launch center, a space theme park and a space research center are also under construction, according to Pei.
He said the construction of the first phase of the park is likely to be finished in 2014, about the same time the center sees its first launch.
The park will give visitors a tram tour of rocket launch pads and offer space-travel attractions, such as a moon-themed train ride and cosmos-themed roller coaster. The park's interplanetary section will be divided into four themed areas — Earth, Lunar, Solar and Martian...
