HICAL

Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Co., Ltd., or HICAL, is a Chinese state-owned company that operates the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site, China's first commercial spaceport. Established in 2022, HICAL is the first commercially incorporated company in China to independently own and manage a spaceport.

Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Co., Ltd.

Trade name	HICAL
Native name	海南国际商业航天发射有限公司
Company type	State-owned enterprise
Industry	Transport
Founded	2 June 2022 (2022-06-02)
Headquarters	Wenchang, Hainan, China
Key people	Yang Tianliang (Chairman of the Board)
Products	Spaceport operations and services
Owner	Hainan Provincial Government China Satellite Network Group CASIC CASC
Subsidiaries	Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site

Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Co., Ltd.
Simplified Chinese	海南国际商业航天发射有限公司
Traditional Chinese	海南國際商業航天發射有限公司
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Hǎinán Guójì Shāngyè Hángtiān Fāshè Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī
HICAL
Chinese	海南商发
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Hǎinán Shāng Fā

History

Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Co., Ltd. (HICAL) was incorporated on June 2, 2022. The company is jointly funded by the Hainan Provincial Government and three state-owned aerospace contractors: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, and China Satellite Network Group. HICAL was established with a starting capital of RMB 1.5 billion.

On July 6, 2022, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site, which is China's first commercial space launch complex, and which is fully funded, constructed and operated by HICAL. Launch Complex 1 was completed in December 2023 and Launch Complex 2 is expected to be completed in 2024.