Wenchang Satellite Launch Center

Wenchang Satellite Launch Center, on Hainan Island in southern China, received Chang'e 7 on 9 April 2026, transported from Beijing by Antonov An-124 cargo aircraft ahead of a second-half-2026 launch to the lunar south pole. Wenchang is China's primary site for heavy-lift missions: Long March 5 and Long March 7 both operate from here, and the site's low-Latitude location at 19 degrees north gives it a launch-efficiency advantage over China's inland sites at Jiuquan, Taiyuan, and Xichang.

Opened in 2016, Wenchang was purpose-built to handle Long March 5, China's largest rocket, which is required for Chang'e 5 lunar sample return, Tianwen-1 Mars, and Chang'e 7. It is the only Chinese site with sea-transport capability, allowing large rocket stages too wide for road or rail to be shipped directly to the island. The location also enables booster debris to fall into open water rather than populated inland areas.

Wenchang has emerged as the public face of China's deep-space programme: the Chang'e 5 sample-return capsule and Tianwen-1 Mars orbiter both launched here. The centre will also host Long March 10, the rocket China is developing for its 2030s crewed Moon programme. Its operational tempo through 2026 and 2027 is the clearest public indicator of China's lunar programme schedule.