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Chicoms erecting new launch center on island in South China Sea
 From East Asia Intel, subscription.China is building a new space launch facility on southern Hainan Island, which U.S. officials say will give Beijing new capabilities to attack satellites in higher Earth orbit. China announced Feb. 6 that is building its fourth satellite launch center on Hainan, located in the South China Sea. The new center will augment launch facilities at Xichang in southwest Sichuan Province, Jiuquan in northwest Gansu Province and Taoyuan in the northern Shanxi Province. The new facility will be located at Wenchang, near Haikou, the capital, and will include a rocket launch facility, an assembly plant, command center and research facility. Chinas space program is run entirely by the Chinese military, which does not distinguish between civilian and military applications for its systems. U.S. officials said the new launch site would make it easier for China to conduct satellite attacks against geosynchronous orbiting satellites. China's Jan. 11 ASAT test involved a low-Earth orbiting satellite about 125 miles in space. Geostationary satellites are as high as 25,000 miles. Hainan is also where China has built a new underwater submarine base for its new attack and ballistic missile submarines. The southern locations indicate that Chinas military buildup is not limited to fighting a future conflict with Taiwan, but is aimed at projecting power through vital strategic sea-lanes. Posted by: Alaska Paul 2007-03-01 |
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