--- title: "China is Building a Floating Spaceport to Launch Rockets" description: "China's largest defense contractor is constructing a floating spaceport to launch its rockets off the coast of Haiyang city on the Eastern coast." date: "2020-09-11" modified: "2020-09-11" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-building-floating-spaceport-rockets" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "china" - "china aerospace science and technology corporation" - "rocket launches" - "the digest" --- # China is Building a Floating Spaceport to Launch Rockets ![China's largest defense contractor is constructing a floating spaceport to launch its rockets off the coast of Haiyang city on the Eastern coast.]() *\Image: CASC\* ## Eastern Aerospace Port China is constructing a floating spaceport to launch its rockets off the coast of the city of Haiyang, [*Universe Today* reports](). The "Eastern Aerospace Port" is being developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the nation's largest defense contractor. Apart from launching smaller rockets, the port will also be used for building and maintaining rockets, satellites, and other space-bound vehicles. ## Substantial Progress Wang Xiaojun, head of China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), under CASC, noted that there was "substantial progress" being made in the construction of the port, as [*SpaceNews* reported last week](). The country's first-ever launch from sea took place in June 2019. A Long March 11 rocket, just over 20 meters in length, took off from a mobile launch platform in the Yellow Sea, carrying weather monitoring satellites. A second launch will reportedly occur before the end of the year from the same platform, according to *SpaceNews*. ## Safer Launches Launching from sea comes with numerous advantages, as a Long March 4B rocket launch earlier this week demonstrated when one of the its non-reusable boosters fell back down to Earth and appeared to have [exploded in a huge cloud of orange smoke]() not far from a school. Launching from sea, in contrast, would happen far from any populated areas. SpaceX is also interested in building floating ports to launch its Starship rockets. In fact, [according to job listings]() that first appeared in June, the Elon Musk-led company's efforts to design such ports is already underway. **READ MORE:** [China is Building a Floating Spaceport for Rocket Launches]() \[*Universe Today*\] **More on floating sea launches:** *[Elon Musk: ]()[SpaceX Building Floating Spaceports for Moon and Mars Launches]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()