China’s rocket boom turns Hainan into a space hub. Can launches fuel wider growth?

AI Summary

China is developing a growing aerospace cluster in Hainan province, transforming the region into a space launch hub with ambitions beyond tourism. The commercial spaceport in Wenchang exemplifies this shift towards technological advancements and economic diversification.

As technological developments augur an era of renewed space exploration, China is aiming to become a major player. In the first part of this two-part series, Wency Chen and Mia Nurmamat examine how Hainan province is betting on a growing aerospace cluster to rewrite its economic playbook beyond tourism. On Hainan’s northeastern coast, launch towers rise abruptly from a flat landscape of coconut palms and open sky. At Pad 1 of the commercial spaceport in Wenchang, an 83-metre (272 feet) service...