Because of the different sizes of launch sites, the different launch tasks they undertake, and the limitations of objective site conditions, it is impossible to have a uniform optimal structural scheme for each launch site. However, comprehensive consideration, all rocket launch sites (space launch sites) or have *** the same components, which are: the technical area, launch area, measurement and control systems, technical support systems, living quarters and logistical support system area and other five parts. If the launch site is also used for launching returned satellites, manned spaceships and space shuttles, there should be a recovery area and a landing area. However, the recovery area and landing area may not be subordinate to the launch site.
Technical area
The technical area is the most important part of the rocket launch site. The building facilities are equipped with all kinds of general and specialized technical equipment, which are used for acceptance, storage, assembly, testing of launch vehicles and spacecraft, and can also be used for regular inspections of launch vehicles and spacecraft.
Launch vehicles and spacecraft, such as launch vehicles, are finally assembled in the technical area, and unit and comprehensive tests are carried out to fill boosters and spacecraft at all stages of the launch vehicle with high-boiling-point propellants and compressed gases, and to dock them in readiness for transportation to the launch area. For launch vehicles and spacecraft, the technical area acts as an intermediate link from the manufacturing plant to the launch area.
At present, large and very large launch vehicles and spacecraft are basically assembled and tested in the technical area. The assembly methods are different from the launch preparation process technology, so the structure and composition of the technical zone are necessarily different. For example, Russia uses horizontal assembly, docking and testing in the technical zone, with horizontal transportation to the launch area. Other countries have other programs, such as the United States, the European Space Agency and Japan, which use vertical assembly, docking, testing, and vertical transportation to the launch area as a whole. These two programs have their own characteristics.
Launch Area
The Launch Area is the place where spacecraft are launched on launch vehicles with carrier rockets and is equipped with a complete set of specialized and general-purpose equipment and buildings for launch services. It receives launch vehicles and spacecraft from the technical area and erects them on the launch pad for final pre-launch testing (no further testing is carried out if they are transported vertically in one piece to the launch area), propellant filling, compressed gas filling, targeting and launching.
A launch site may have more than one launch area, and the distance between the launch areas should be reasonable, and consideration should be given to the safety of the ground equipment and delivery vehicles and spacecraft in the event of an accident, as well as to the effect of launch noise.
Measurement and control system
Measurement and control system has a wider scope, it is a series of ground measurement and control stations set up on the launching area and the navigation area and the special measurement ship at sea, which is used to measure the trajectory, send commands, receive and process the telemetry information sent by the launch vehicle and the spacecraft. For the launch area, the measurement and control system, in addition to tracking and measuring the initial segment of the take-off and flight of the launch vehicle, is more important to provide safety control information to ensure the safety of the site. For a comprehensive large-scale space launch site, the layout of the site area measurement and control station should be considered to adapt to the launch tracking requirements of different inclinations, but also to meet the measurement and control requirements of each launch area, as far as possible, so that the measurement and control equipment to be the most fully utilized.
Technical support system
Technical support system is the nerve center of the launch site to carry out the work, for technical preparation and aftercare services.
Living quarters and logistic support system area
Logistics usually includes: water supply, power supply, gas supply; communication system; transportation system such as airports, wharves, railroads and highways; propellant production and storage area; distribution area for supply of materials and daily necessities; and living area for staff. Especially in the remote space launch site, the construction of living quarters is particularly important (Russia's Baikonur launch site living quarters have been completely urbanized, and has been developed into an aerospace science city, inhabited by tens of thousands of people; China's Xichang launch site, located in the Sichuan basin of the Yihai Lake, has been built as a space city with an independent life-support system).
Additionally, for a launch site engaged in human spaceflight, it should have a recovery area, a landing area and a search and rescue system.
Knowledge Points
Why Observatories Are Mostly Located on Mountains
The world's three best recognized observatory sites are located on top of high mountains, namely, the summit of Hawaii's Mauna Kea, at 4,206 meters above sea level; the Chilean Andes, at 2,500 meters above sea level; and the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, at 2,426 meters above sea level.
China's astronomical observatories are also mostly located in the mountains. For example, the Purple Mountain Observatory, which is set up in Nanjing outside the northeast of the Purple Mountain, 267 meters above sea level. The Beijing Observatory has five observatories, including the Xinglong Observatory, which is about 940 meters above sea level. The Yunnan Observatory is on the eastern outskirts of Kunming at an elevation of 2020 meters. The main work of the observatory is to observe the stars with astronomical telescopes. Is the observatory located on a hill because it is closer to the stars? No. The stars are very far away from us. The stars are all very far away from us, and the mountains on Earth are usually only a few thousand meters, which is obviously insignificant to shorten such a small distance. The Earth is surrounded by a layer of atmosphere through which starlight has to pass to reach astronomical telescopes. Smoke and dust in the air, as well as fluctuations in water vapor, have an effect on astronomical observations. Especially near large cities, city lights illuminate these particles in the air at night, brightening the sky and preventing astronomers from observing fainter stars. Away from the cities, where there is less dust and smog, the situation is better, but it is not yet immune to these effects. The higher up, the thinner the air, the less smoke, dust and water vapor, the less impact, so most observatories are located in the mountains.