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China has been making great strides in a lot of different areas as of late, and it seems you could add this to the list. Sure, launching rockets from the sea might not sound like much, but it’s well worth being aware of. 

Back in June of 2019, China began testing sea launches as a whole, and it seems now things might be in full swing as according to Space.com the country intends to launch at least three this year. Initially, these rockets sent out satellites and were quite successful. Having seen a lot of growth in this area, we can expect this round to be quite successful as well from China, however, you never truly know what will happen until the moment is present. 

Space.com wrote as follows going over some of the information of the coming launches:

“[This year], according to the needs of users and the safety requirements of landing areas at home and abroad, we plan to make one land-based launch, and three to four sea-based launches,” Li Tongyu, chief commander of Long March 11 from the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), told state media.

“We have overcome all the technical problems concerning different launching modes, including land- and sea-based launches,” Li said. “We will gradually apply these technologies in the future to ensure that the launches are safe, reliable and cost-effective,” Li added.

Launching from the sea holds a number of advantages for China. Flexible positioning of the launch site means it is easier to choose a flight path which doesn’t fly over other countries and makes sure spent rocket stages and other debris fall into the sea rather than on land, as with many of China’s launches. 

A mobile sea platform also allows launches closer to the equator. The greater rotational speed of the Earth near the equator means lower fuel requirements to achieve orbit.

If things go as expected, in the coming year’s technology on this kind of thing could progress further. Lots of things in regard are in the works and could be tried once 2022 rolls around. While we do not hear much about CALT, there is no denying the strides being made by those working through CALT. What do you think about all of this?

I, for one, think that it was just a matter of time before this became normal overall. Launching from the sea provides a lot of advantages for the country and makes a lot of sense. Perhaps in the future, it will become even more common than most would expect.