Chinese Space Facilities

• Yuan Wang tracking ship #1
• Yuan Wang tracking ship #2
• Yuan Wang tracking ship #3
• Yuan Wang tracking ship #4
• Yuan Wang tracking ship #5
• Yuan Wang tracking ship #6

  Agencies

  • China Satellite Launch and Tracking General
  

  Initially, the PRC operated three widely separated space launch centers to meet the needs of the entire CZ family of vehicles. Since these facilities are not located on the coast of China, each site is limited in the launch azimuths permitted which has led to separate centers for typical LEO, sun-synchronous, and GEO missions.

  China set up three launching sites - in Jiuquan, Xichang and Taiyuan - which successfully accomplished various kinds of test flights of launching vehicles and launches of a variety of satellites and experimental spacecraft. China's spacecraft launching sites are capable of making both domestic satellite launches and international commercial launches, and carrying out international space cooperation in other fields.

  China has established an integrated TT&C network comprising TT&C ground stations and ships, which has successfully accomplished TT&C missions for near-earth orbit and geo-stationary orbit satellites, and experimental spacecraft. This network has acquired the capability of sharing TT&C resources with international network, and its technology has reached the international advanced level.

  Tracking from land for Shenzhou missions is the duty of the Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Center (BACCC), the Xi'an Satellite Control Centre (XSCC) in Shaanxi Province, and the tracking stations in Weinan (Shaanxi Province), Qingdao (Shandong Province), Xiamen (Fujian Province), Kashi (Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region), Karachi (Pakistan), and Swakopmund (Namibia). The four Yuanwang tracking vessels are stationed at the Sea of Japan (YW-1), area off the southern tip of South America (YW-2), Atlantic Ocean (YW-3) and Indian Ocean off Australia (YW-4) respectively.

  The proposed Chinese space deris monitoring and research program to minimize space debris was approved by the space specialists with the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (COSTIND) on 22 February 2001. This was the first time that Chinese government organizes and plans a comprehensive national action plan on space debris research and monitoring to fulfill its international obligation in this area. The proposed plan is to increase China's capability to observe, avoid and reduce space debris. China hoped that by 2005 the action plan not only would give its space program an independent ability to monitor orbital debris and issue warnings to protect space assets, but also offers technical support to the international exchange. The action plan also determined the special goals in the related fields, including establishing an initial observing capability through a dedicated fixed telescope and two mobile telescopes, with a capability of observing 30 cm objects in the geostationery orbit.

  China had added Dongara in Australia to its global network of ground stations in 2011. It was China's ninth ground station and the fifth outside China. A fleet of ships also tracks spacecraft from the world's oceans. China has a Beidou satellite tracking station in Karachi, run by Pakistan. The European space tracking system, Estrack, operates 10 stations worldwide and uses five further commercially operated stations, including one run by SSC in Dongara, according to its website. Nasa's Near Earth Network of tracking stations has at least 12 stations, including one in Dongara.

  
  

  
  
  

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