1. Basic information
Haiyang Oriental Space Port is China’s only sea launch home port for launch vehicles. It is located in Haiyang City, Yantai City, Shandong Province, with coordinates (37°N, 120°E) and a total planned area of 34.19 square kilometers. In July 2019, the First Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology Group, the Yantai Municipal Government and offshore engineering partners signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement to build my country’s first sea launch home port in Yantai, Shandong Province, and promote the high frequency, normalization and systematization of sea launches.
2. Launch platform
(1) Terry
The Terry is a semi-submersible barge with a length of 111 meters, a width of 79 meters, a depth of 9 meters, and a maximum load capacity of 36,268 tons. The Terry supports solid launch vehicle launches and has been successfully launched three times, including the Long March 11 and Jielong 3 launch vehicles.
(2) Debo No. 3
Debo 3 is a deck barge with a total length of 159.6 meters, a maximum width of 38.8 meters, a molded depth of 10.9 meters, and a maximum load capacity of 20,500 tons. Debo 3 uses all-electric propulsion, is equipped with DP1 dynamic positioning and 4-point anchoring positioning system, and has the function of rapid load adjustment. In addition, Debo 3 has its own power and travels faster. It can be quickly transported to the launch area for launch, and the launch efficiency is higher. Debo 3 has successfully guaranteed the launch of the Long March 11 solid launch vehicle.
(3) Defu 15002
Devo 15002 is a deck barge with a length of 125 meters, a width of 35 meters, a molded depth of 7.5 meters, a deck loading area of 3,400 square meters, and a maximum load capacity of 16,445 tons. It supports solid launch vehicle launches and has successfully guaranteed 2 launch missions, including 1 launch of the Long March 11 launch vehicle and 1 launch of the Ceres 1 launch vehicle.
(4) Borun Jiuzhou
The Borun Jiuzhou is a deck cargo ship with a total length of 153.8 meters, a molded width of 42 meters, and a molded depth of 9 meters. Supporting the launch of solid launch vehicles, it has successfully guaranteed three launch missions, including the Long March 11 and Jielong 3 launch vehicles.
(5) Vostok Spaceport
The Oriental Spaceport is a multi-functional sea launch and recovery ship invested by Haiyang Xinggang Ship Service Co., Ltd. There is a diversion channel facility in the middle of the hull, which supports the sea-launched “three-vertical” test and launch mode. Construction of the Vostok Spaceport started on October 29, 2021, and it will be put into commercial operation on January 11, 2024. The Vostok Spaceport has a length of 162.5 meters, a width of 40 meters, a design draft of 6.6 meters, a maximum load capacity of 22,000 tons, and a cruising range of approximately 10,000 nautical miles. Equipped with a DP2 dynamic positioning system (which can be positioned at a designated position without anchoring), the speed can reach 12.5 knots. The Oriental Spaceport can meet the launch needs of large and medium-sized solid rockets and small and medium-sized liquid launch vehicles currently in service and under development. Currently, two launch missions have been guaranteed, including the Gravity-1 and Ceres-1 launch vehicles.
(6) Semi-fixed maritime launch platform
The semi-fixed sea launch platform has good stability and can provide support capabilities for large liquid rockets.
3. Advantages
1. Flexibility. Our country’s sea area is vast, and the selection of launch points is very large, which can be flexibly selected according to specific mission requirements. At present, the Oriental Spaceport has achieved successful launches in the three sea areas of the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea.
2. Save costs. The track design can achieve greater transportation capacity and effectively save rocket fuel. The closer a rocket launch site is to the equator, the less energy is required to launch the rocket.
3. The landing area is safe. Through ballistic design, all rocket debris landing areas are located on the sea, away from densely populated areas.
