Comments on: China Lunar Rocket Launched Successfully, but Rained Debris on Villages

By: Phil

Phil — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 20:22:45 +0000

Other countries besides China actively launching from inland sites include Russia, Kazakhstan (owned by Russia), Iran and Pakistan. Most seem to be deserts or sparsely populated areas

I might have missed one, but every other active orbital launch site I can find is on a coast with launches only over water. That includes the US, ESA (Europe), Japan, India, Brazil, South Korea and Israel. The US maintains a second site in California at Vandenberg AFB specifically to reach polar orbits that would require flying over land if they were launched from Cape Canaveral. Smaller sites are at Wallops Island, VA and in the Kwajalein Islands. The North Koreans have sites on both coasts; whether that’s to avoid launching over land I don’t know. Israel performs highly energy-inefficient retrograde (westward) launches over the Mediterranean.

The European site is in Kourou, French Guiana. If not for its remoteness, this would be the most ideal launch site in the world. It can reach both polar and equatorial orbits, and being close to the equator makes it easier to reach geostationary orbit.

By: Magda G.

Magda G. — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 15:32:13 +0000

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By: Sean

Sean — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 01:03:21 +0000

The Chinese space program is military run. The launch site also test the ballistic missile and anti-satellite missile. So to keep it away from US and Soviet bombers, it was build away from the coast and from the Soviet Border in the 1980′s. And debris fallen from Rockets are kinda common in the area. The flight path of the rockets fly over mostly country side, and people are evacuated along the path.

By: Eric

Eric — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 01:01:10 +0000

The Chinese government claims the 1996 crash killed 6 people, outside estimates range from 200 to 2000. You can find the video on Youtube.

By: TofuGirl

TofuGirl — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 19:48:01 +0000

As a Chinese person, I agree with Brian. Beijing has had a pretty well documented history of not giving a flying rat about poor villagers, from the Imperial era, through Mao and the Gang of Four, and into the present day.

By: Dante The Canadian

Dante The Canadian — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 17:35:35 +0000

Brian,

I disagree. China’s motives for keeping their space launch area inland has nothing to do with whether or not they value the lives of their people as expendible or not. They are a socialist regime, Maoist communist to be more precise. With such a socio-political system there comes a certain amount of mistrust of other nations and so they place their ultra secret projects away from prying eyes. It’s not different than the Soviet Union having their launch site and testing facilities in Siberia.

Your portrayal of the Chinese as a people and China as a nation is arrogant and ignorant in just one statement.

By: Brian

Brian — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 16:08:14 +0000

The difference between NASA and China is that NASA actually cares about not injuring/killing innocent bystanders with their launches. China probably just views villagers as “expendable”

By: Eliza Strickland

Eliza Strickland — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 12:47:28 +0000

Ah, interesting. Thanks for the context, Damian. I wonder if China put its launch site there to keep its space program–and any accidents–quiet?

– Eliza

By: damian

damian — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:03:56 +0000

Traditionally, rockets are launched east from an eastern coast to prevent just this sort of trouble. Not sure why the Chinese located their launch complex inland when they have so much east-coast to work with…

On additional review, I see that in 1996 a rocket launched from the same place–Xichang Satellite Launch Center–went off course and hit a village, killing 6 and injuring dozens. That would be almost impossible from Kennedy Space Center. NASA clears most boat traffic that space vehicles will fly over, and there are no land masses at risk.

By: Rhacodactylus

Rhacodactylus — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 23:42:36 +0000

You have to love a government that can get to the moon, but doesn't see the issues with dropping a huge sheet of metal in a populated area, just the balance of advancement and recklessness we need. ~Rhaco