1. Basic situation
Xichang Satellite Launch Center is located in Fengjiawan, Zeyuan Township, Mianning County, 65 kilometers northwest of Xichang City, Sichuan Province. The coordinates of the launch site are 102 degrees east longitude and 28.2 degrees north latitude. It was built in 1970 and put into use in 1982. It is mainly responsible for the launch of geosynchronous orbit satellites, and is responsible for the organization and command of broadcast, communication and meteorological satellite launches, test launches, active segment measurements, safety control, data processing, information transmission, meteorological support, debris recovery, experimental technology research and other tasks. (Wenchang Space Launch Site is managed by Xichang Satellite Launch Center). The annual average temperature at Xichang Satellite Launch Center is 16 °C, and the best launch season is from October to May of the following year. Before the Wenchang Space Launch Site was built, the Xichang Satellite Launch Center was the only launch site capable of launching geostationary satellites.
2. Launch station
(1) Workstation No. 2
It was put into use in 1990. It was used to launch the Long March 2E rocket and the Long March 3A in the early stage. It is currently mainly used to launch the Long March 3B and the Long March 3C. This station has the only active mobile service tower in my country.
(2) Workstation No. 3
It was completed at the end of 1978, and the Long March 3 Yaoyi rocket was launched on January 29, 1984. It was rebuilt in 2007 to meet the needs of launching Chang’e 1, also known as the new No. 3 station. At present, it is mainly used to launch the Long March 3A series of rockets, and can also launch the Long March 2C and Long March 2D.
(3) Field
It can launch Long March 11 and Kuaizhou-1A.
3. Advantages
1. Low latitude (28.2 degrees north latitude) and high altitude (1500 meters). The lower the latitude, the closer it is to the equator. It can not only make full use of the centrifugal force of the earth’s rotation, but also shorten the distance from the ground to the satellite orbit, thereby increasing the rocket’s carrying capacity.
2. The canyon has good terrain and solid geological structure, which is conducive to the overall layout of the launch site, and is beneficial to the ground launch facilities, technical equipment, tracking measurement, and communication network.
3. The “launch window” is good. The annual average temperature is 18°C, the sunshine reaches 320 days, there is almost no fog, and the test period and launch time are long.
