BEIJING, October 17 (RIA Novosti) - Construction of the fourth and the largest spaceport in China in the country's southern city of Wenchang has been completed and it is ready for launch, People’s Daily reported Friday.
Completion of the new spaceport, which is located in the island province of Hainan, means that the launch of manned and unmanned missions to current and future space stations, the Moon and Mars are “just a matter of time”, according to the newspaper.
“We will highly likely accomplish human treks to the moon around 2025. The Chinese man flying to the moon will depart from Wenchang,” fellow of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Long Lehao was quoted as saying.
Opportunities allow the spaceport to conduct 10 to 12 launches a year. The starting date of the spaceport operation was not disclosed.
The three other spaceports are the Xichang, Taiyuan and Jiuquan launching facilities. According to plans of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), a permanent Chinese space station and crewed expeditions to the Mooon and Mars are expected by 2020.
