A "spaceflight kingdom," covering about 1,200 mu (80 hectares), will begin construction in southwest Shanghai. The Spaceflight New Area, located in the Minxing District, will integrate scientific research and production as well as logistics. It will become the new development cradle of Shanghai-made rockets, satellites and airships. The first phase of the project is predicted to be completed in 2007 and the second phase in 2010.
The Shanghai Science and Technology Museum of the Space Industry will open to the public in 2007, covering three times the area of the current museum of the Shanghai Space Bureau. It will display parts of satellites, rockets and airships developed by Shanghai Spaceflight, including bulky large-scale carrier rockets. Relevant officials told journalists that the Shanghai Space Bureau was considering the installation of satellite and airship models in the museum, allowing visitors to experience the glamour of the high-tech "spaceflight kingdom" themselves.
This year, the Shanghai Space Bureau will complete the launch of "two rockets, one satellite and one airship." In particular, they will focus on the launch of Shenzhou VI. The propellant module, power supply, and communication systems that Shanghai is responsible for developing have already been transported to Beijing for assembly and examination. In addition, Changzheng (Long March) 2D will lift off for the second time this year to complete satellite launch tasks.
(Chinanews.cn March 14, 2005)
