Hainan Plans Suborbital Space Tourism Center, Aims to Become China's Space Tourism Capital

Hainan Unveils Major Plan, Writing Space Tourism into Its 15th Five-Year Blueprint

According to 36Kr, the draft "15th Five-Year Plan for Hainan International Tourism and Consumption Center" was recently released for public comment. The plan explicitly proposes the development of a suborbital space tourism center and other frontier facilities, with a full commitment to strengthening Wenchang's brand as the "Space Tourism Capital." This marks the first time a Chinese local government has elevated suborbital space tourism to the level of a five-year plan, drawing widespread attention from the industry.

Full Value Chain: From Viewing Platforms to a Space Tourism Center

According to the plan, Hainan will pursue a full-industry-chain approach to space tourism, spanning multiple tiers:

• Enhanced Viewing Experiences: Upgrades to launch viewing platforms and comprehensive observation camps, along with the innovative development of maritime cruise viewing routes, allowing tourists to witness the spectacle of rocket launches up close through various means
• Science Education and Study Tours: Advancing projects such as the Hainan Space Museum and Space Study Tour Center, and building a national-level space science education and research base
• Industrial Site Access: Opening core industrial scenes such as rocket assembly and testing facilities and satellite super-factories to create immersive educational destinations
• Frontier Facility Development: Planning and constructing a suborbital space tourism center, shifting the space experience from "watching" to "participating"

The plan also emphasizes the need to improve the supporting service industry chain for space tourism, forming a complete aerospace tourism ecosystem.

Suborbital Space Tourism: From Science Fiction to Reality

Suborbital space tourism involves passengers traveling aboard a vehicle to approximately 100 kilometers above Earth's surface — near the Kármán line — where they can experience several minutes of weightlessness and gaze down at the curvature of the Earth. Globally, companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic have already pioneered commercial space tourism operations. In China, commercial aerospace companies including CAS Space and iSpace are actively advancing the development of suborbital vehicles, with some projects already in the testing phase.

Notably, AI technology is playing an increasingly critical role in this field. From intelligent flight control systems and autonomous trajectory optimization, to real-time AI monitoring of passenger health, and AI-powered immersive interactive experiences in space education, artificial intelligence is becoming a key technological enabler for the commercialization of space tourism.

Wenchang's Unique Advantages and Strategic Significance

As home to China's only low-latitude coastal space launch site, Wenchang possesses natural advantages for developing space tourism. In recent years, with major space missions such as the Long March 5, Tianwen-1, and Chang'e series launching from the Wenchang site, "going to Wenchang to watch rockets" has become a popular tourism draw. The release of this plan signals that Hainan is shifting from passively riding the wave of space enthusiasm to proactively building a space tourism industry system.

Outlook: Space Tourism Could Become the Next Trillion-Yuan Industry

Industry analysts believe that as commercial space technology matures and costs continue to decline, space tourism could transition from a niche luxury experience to a mass-market offering within the next decade. Hainan's inclusion of suborbital space tourism in its 15th Five-Year Plan demonstrates strategic foresight in seizing early opportunities in the space economy. If the plan is successfully implemented, Wenchang could become one of the few cities in the world that integrates space launches, space science education, and space tourism into a single comprehensive aerospace hub, offering a new paradigm for China's commercial space exploration.