Sea launches offer advantages such as the ability
to position closer to the equator, requiring less
fuel to reach orbit and thereby lowering overall
launch costs. It also reduces the possibility of
damage on the ground from falling rocket debris.
The official Xinhua News Agency cited experts
as saying seaborne launch technology will
meet the growing demand for launches of low
inclination satellites.
China’s space program has developed rapidly,
especially since it conducted its first crewed
mission in 2003, becoming just the third country
following Russia and the U.S. to put humans into
space using its own technology.
It has put two space stations into orbit and plans
to launch a Mars rover in the mid-2020s. Its
space program suffered a rare setback last year
with the failed launch of a Long March 5 rocket.