三十年风云航天路——太原卫星发射中心巡礼

Taiyuan Satellite Launching Center

1997年12月8日,地处晋西北高原的太原卫星发射中心银装素裹,晴空万里。15时16分,随着一声轰响,矗立在群山怀抱的发射架上,我国自行研制的长征二号丙改进型火箭喷云吐雾,托着美国摩托罗拉公司的两颗铱星,腾空而起,刺破苍穹,将卫星送入预定轨道,发射成功!

On December 8, 1997, the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, situated in the Northwest Plateau of Shanxi Province, was covered by snow. At 15: 16’, along with a sound of thunder the Long March Ⅱ-C rocket shot into the sky, carrying two satellites of the US Motorola Inc. into outer space. The rocket looks like a big painting brush, painted a picture of thirty years hard- working of the center in spaceflight technology.In March 1966, the center was planned to build in the depth of mountains approved hy Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, and Zhou Enlai. On January 4, 1967, several thousands engineers, technicians and university graduates came here from all sides of the eounfry began building the center. The date of December 8, 1968 is a day for congratulation in history nf spaceflight of our country. On the day, the full distance flight-test of the first generation of medium-range rocket made by ourselves succeeded in one trial spaceflight.After this, various kinds of rockets were launched from here. With thirty years experience in the field, the Taiyuan Satellite Launching Center is being in its prime now. Besides launching satellites for U.S. A, the center will sent satellites of the Brazil into its orbit. In the near future, a scientific experiment satellite and an exploring satellite of our country will also be delivered into the space from here one after another.