Shanghai Space Industry Bureau chief Yuan Jie said on Friday that the Shanghai Aerospace City, which consumes over one billion yuan (US$123 million) in its first-phase project, will be completed by 2010 and the related China Aerospace Science and Technology Park is expected to be unveiled in Shanghai in the near future.

According to the draft of Shanghai's 11th Five-Year Plan, Shanghai intends to form several industry clusters in application satellite, carrier rocket and other arenas. Yuan analyzed that this plan aims to support China's national strategy and adjust and elevate Shanghai's space industry, which will help China's overall space industry lead the world level. He said that Shanghai has the honor to participate in the national manned space project and is advantageous in satellite and rocket development. Building the Shanghai Aerospace City is a significant step towards forming industry clusters.

Yuan indicated that hardware facilities for the Shanghai Aerospace City started construction last autumn and the first-phase project is scheduled to be completed at the end of this year. Afterwards, the headquarters of the Shanghai Space Industry Bureau and various research institutes in Shanghai will move to the aerospace city one after the other. By 2010 when the second-phase project of the aerospace city is in smooth process, the total investment will have increased to 2 to 3 billion yuan.

The Shanghai Aerospace City, which is located in the Minhang District in southwest Shanghai, covers an area of 1,120 mu (184.8 acres) and its construction area reaches 300,000 square meters. The aerospace city will include a few functional sections such as the dynamics section, the electronics section and the cooperation section, and many professional research institutes. The city will also set up a large aerospace science popularization hall which will be open to the public.

(Chinanews January 20, 2006)