Why is Jiuquan the only place for manned space launches? | Science Museum

In 2021, my country's manned spaceflight has made new breakthroughs. On June 17, China's Shenzhou XII manned spacecraft was launched, successfully sending three astronauts, Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo, into space. On October 16, Shenzhou XIII sent astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu into space. They will spend six months in space, completing the first "New Year's Eve in Space"!

In the process of development of my country's manned space technology, there is a name that is well-known and has always accompanied the pace of development of my country's space industry. It is the manned space launch site - Jiuquan!

The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, established in 1958, is located on the western edge of the Badain Jaran Desert on the border between Inner Mongolia and Gansu. It is the earliest and largest satellite launch center in my country, as well as the only manned space launch site in my country.

In nearly 64 years, the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center has successfully launched more than 200 satellites, 13 Shenzhou spacecraft, 1 target aircraft and 1 space laboratory, creating many milestone firsts in China's space history, including the launch of my country's first artificial earth satellite, the first unmanned spacecraft and the first manned spacecraft, and witnessed the glorious journey of China's space industry from scratch to something, and from small to large.

In addition, my country also has three major satellite launch centers, including:

Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center is located in the plateau area northwest of Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, in the temperate zone, about 1,500 meters above sea level. It has the capabilities of multi-direction, multi-orbit, long-range and high-precision measurement. It has successfully launched my country's first sun-synchronous orbit meteorological satellite "Fengyun-1", the first China-Pakistan "Ziyuan-1" satellite, the first marine resource exploration satellite, etc.

Xichang Satellite Launch Center, located in the heart of the Daliangshan Valley 65 kilometers northwest of Xichang City, is mainly responsible for the organization and command of the launch of geosynchronous orbit (GTO) satellites such as broadcasting, communication and meteorology, test launch, active segment measurement, safety control, data processing, information transmission, meteorological support, debris recovery, experimental technology research, etc.

Wenchang Satellite Launch Center is located in Longlou Town, Wenchang City, Hainan Province, at a latitude of about 19°30”, adjacent to the sea. It is mainly responsible for launching spacecraft such as geosynchronous orbit satellites, large-mass polar-orbit satellites, large-tonnage space stations and deep space exploration satellites.

So how did Jiuquan become the only manned space launch site in my country? The key factor is the ground facilities for implementing manned space projects. The site selection is very complicated and must be combined with multiple factors, including the natural environment, economy, and transportation. Therefore, there are only three launch sites in the world that can launch manned spacecraft: Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Kennedy Space Center, and Baikonur Cosmodrome.

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First, when preparing to build a manned space launch site, Jiuquan had already been built for 30 years and had a relatively strong material foundation. For example, the technical support, measurement and control communications, railway transportation, power distribution, and living infrastructure were relatively complete, which could ensure the safety of spacecraft and carrier rockets during the preparation process, including details such as transportation and storage. In the TV series "Meritorious Service", there is a plot that also applies to the storage of manned space equipment, that is, during the transportation and storage process, no impurities can be mixed in, otherwise major mistakes may occur. In addition, there are also large airports built, on which a more economical expansion can be achieved.

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Secondly, Jiuquan is located in the Gobi Desert, with an uninhabited area of ​​200 kilometers and no densely populated towns or important transportation arteries within 66 kilometers. When constructing the site, based on calculations of ground explosions, the technical area must be outside the 2800Pa overpressure line, and the test building and test plant must be outside the 4000Pa. In addition, based on the impact of fireballs and heat, the storage area must be built into a semi-underground structure, etc., to keep a sufficient distance between the technical area and the launch area, so as to reduce some safety hazards that may be caused by the launch area. In addition, the climate here is dry and rainy, with few thunderstorms, which is also conducive to launch.

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Finally, the launch site needs to cover an area of ​​50,000 square kilometers, with open terrain, to meet the requirements of astronaut rescue in the waiting and ascending stages, and is an ideal launch and recovery landing site, with room for development. In the subsequent construction, many new technical measures were designed to ensure the safety of astronauts and staff, such as emergency evacuation measures on the tower, generally by elevator evacuation, and a life-saving bag slide evacuation device was installed to prevent fire, explosion and other emergencies. It is safe and reliable, and the life-saving bag is installed in a steel casing, which has a certain protective effect. Therefore, the Jiuquan Launch Center truly serves manned launches.

The construction of the Jiuquan manned space launch site also adopts the idea of ​​building around core areas such as the test command area and the technical cooperation area. It is built in a centralized manner under the premise of safety and convenient for management. Its geographical location can ensure smooth logistics and maximize the efficiency of logistics transportation with the shortest path...

With the above advantages, Jiuquan became the final choice for my country's expansion, and was eventually built into a modern, comprehensive space launch site with Chinese characteristics.

my country's manned spaceflight continues to progress, which is closely related to the construction of launch sites. Its high reliability and high safety escort manned spaceflight, and its continuous progress also provides more power for the development of manned spaceflight in the future. Although there are many difficulties ahead, I believe that our predecessors developed the manned spaceflight industry under such a difficult environment. I believe that in such a powerful era of the country, we can usher in a more brilliant future for our career. The Lunar New Year is coming soon. Do you have any New Year wishes for the three astronauts on my country's space station? Everyone is welcome to leave a message in the comment area! Let us look forward to their triumphant return together!

Creative team: China Science and Technology Museum New Media Team

Review expert: Qian Hang, aerospace science writer, aerospace designer, PhD