On August 26, Hainan Provincial Party Secretary Feng Fei visited Wenchang to inspect the establishment and operational status of Hainan Aerospace Group, and presided over a symposium to hear reports on the group's formation and related work, according to Hainan Daily.
Feng Fei emphasized the need to "prioritize quality over speed, uphold the bottom line of production safety, accelerate the process of filling gaps and strengthening the industrial chain, mobilize the entire province's resources to advance the group's construction, systematically plan the development of a commercial aerospace industrial ecosystem and innovation ecosystem, and strive to build a world-class space launch site."
Commercial aerospace refers to space activities operated under commercial business models, aiming to conduct research, development, manufacturing, launching, and application of space technology and services through market-driven approaches. Globally, commercial aerospace has emerged as a strategic high ground that nations are racing to occupy, with many countries elevating it to the level of national strategy and accelerating efforts in core technology breakthroughs and full industrial chain layout.
China's 15th Five-Year Plan outline explicitly proposed the goal of building a space power for the first time, with commercial aerospace serving as an indispensable component. In recent years, the national government has increasingly prioritized the commercial aerospace sector. In 2024, commercial aerospace was included in the government work report for the first time as a "new growth engine."
The 2025 and 2026 government work reports further elaborated on this direction: the 2025 report proposed promoting the safe and healthy development of emerging industries such as commercial aerospace, while the 2026 report mentioned building aerospace and other emerging pillar industries. A clear timeline has been established, with the "National Space Administration Action Plan for Promoting High-Quality and Safe Development of Commercial Aerospace (2025–2027)" setting the goal of basically realizing high-quality development of commercial aerospace by 2027.
According to data, China's commercial aerospace sector has already established a comprehensive industrial chain covering "satellites, rockets, launch sites, testing, and applications," with the number of commercial aerospace enterprises surpassing 600 by the end of 2025. Some analysts believe that the next five years will be a critical period for China's commercial aerospace industry to transition from its "growth phase" to a "maturity phase."
Hainan holds a significant position on China's commercial aerospace map. As early as 2021, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce issued "Special Measures Opinions on Relaxing Market Access to Support the Construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port," which proposed "promoting the landing of commercial aerospace industrial chains such as satellite remote sensing, Beidou navigation, satellite communications, quantum satellites, chip design, launch vehicles, and TT&C (telemetry, tracking, and command) in Hainan." In 2022, Hainan was approved to build China's first commercial space launch site — the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site.
In November 2024, the Long March-12 carrier rocket was successfully launched, marking the first launch mission undertaken at this site and signifying China's breakthrough from zero to one in commercial space launch infrastructure. Hainan possesses unique advantages for building a commercial space launch site. Geographically, it combines "low latitude with coastal launching," which results in lower launch costs, more convenient transportation for large-diameter rockets, and safer downrange landing zones. According to data, the same model of launch vehicle can achieve a 10% to 15% increase in effective payload capacity when launched from this location.
In terms of policy, leveraging the Hainan Free Trade Port's "zero tariffs, low tax rates" policies, aerospace enterprises can benefit from exemptions on imported equipment and additional deductions for R&D expenses, thereby reducing operating costs and enhancing economic efficiency and competitiveness. Hainan's development path is centered on the strategy of "driving industry growth through the launch site." The Eighth Plenary Session of the Eighth Hainan Provincial Party Committee proposed "using the launch site to drive industry growth" to strengthen the rocket chain, satellite chain, data chain, and the "aerospace+" industry.
Hainan's 15th Five-Year Plan outline mentions fully advancing the construction of the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site, "using the launch site to drive industry growth" to form an industrial cluster covering commercial launches, satellite and rocket manufacturing, and satellite applications, while establishing an industrial organization model of "factory-to-launch, return-to-reuse, launch-to-operation, and data-to-service."
Hainan Aerospace Group, which Feng Fei inspected, is a wholly state-owned provincial enterprise newly established this month. The group serves as the comprehensive implementation entity for Wenchang International Aerospace City to undertake national major aerospace missions and infrastructure investment, construction, and operation, and is also the core service entity for cultivating and developing Hainan Province's commercial aerospace industrial cluster. Public information shows that Liu Hongjian, general manager of Hainan International Commercial Space Launch Co., Ltd., serves as the chairman of Hainan Aerospace Group, while Li Buhong, former vice president of Hainan University, holds the position of deputy secretary of the group's party committee.
Looking toward the 15th Five-Year Plan period, Hainan Aerospace Group will become the core development engine for Hainan Province's commercial aerospace industry and the rise of Wenchang International Aerospace City. One of the group's key tasks is to use the launch site to drive industry growth and strengthen the main aerospace business. "We will insist on driving the industrial chain with the launch site, accelerate the cultivation of the rocket chain, satellite chain, data chain, aerospace tourism, and the 'aerospace+' industry, continuously enhance rocket intelligent manufacturing capabilities, establish a 'launch site-rocket-satellite' collaborative innovation platform, accelerate chain extension and strengthening, build an innovative industrial cluster, and strive to become a world-class commercial aerospace investment holding company," Li Buhong stated at a previous press conference.
During the inspection, Feng Fei pointed out the need to mobilize the entire province's resources to advance the group's construction, systematically plan the commercial aerospace industry ecosystem and innovation ecosystem, and strive to build a world-class space launch site. He mentioned accelerating the group's transition onto a high-quality development track, improving institutional systems, focusing on core business and responsibilities, and serving and supporting the development of Hainan's commercial aerospace industry. He also emphasized continuously strengthening basic research, striving to create a strategic highland for space technology innovation, ensuring the group gets off to a good start, and accelerating the creation of an aerospace industrial cluster with global influence.