Students ask for signatures from Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut in space, on Thursday at Wenchang Middle School in Hainan province. YUAN CHEN/FOR CHINA DAILY

The "Wenchang Youth-Wenchang Middle School" satellite, the first satellite named after a school in Hainan province, is scheduled to be launched from the nearby Wenchang Space Launch Site by the middle of next year.

"The satellite is an achievement of the construction of the Wenchang International Aerospace City and the aerospace science and technology education of Wenchang Middle School," said Wu Zhijun, the school's vice-principal, at a ceremony marking the start of the preparations on Thursday.

The day was also spent celebrating the 115th anniversary of the school.

"The development of aerospace cannot be separated from talent, and the emergence of talent depends on improving education," said Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut in space and the school's honorary principal.

"The seeds of aerospace continue to take root and sprout in Wenchang Middle School," he said.

"The school has continuously increased its investment in aerospace science and technology education, utilizing the geographical advantages of the Wenchang Space Launch Site," said Duan Huasong, the school's principal. The school is only 20 kilometers away from the launch site.

As a leading school in Wenchang, China's fourth space launch city, Wenchang Middle School is the only one in Hainan that has included space education in its curriculum since 2017.

"Our school often invites aerospace experts to hold lectures, popularize space knowledge, promote the space spirit, and cultivate interest in space science and technology," said Fu Qidi, deputy director of the school's teaching and research department.

The school established a science and technology club in 2014. The micro-nano satellite department and model department under the club have brought together students interested in aerospace to learn related science courses every week. The courses include space education model courses, satellite measurement and control courses, Arduino satellite programming courses, and micro-nano satellite-making courses.

The school introduced informatics algorithm talent in 2021, and has won many prizes in the field since then.

Space science education satisfies students' interests in delving into the unknown and the future, and guides students to raise their perspectives from the ground to the sky, according to the Wenchang bureau of education.

"Wenchang is planning to build an open, international, innovative and integrated world-class aerospace city. I hope that Wenchang Middle School will transform students' creativity into projects, cultivate more outstanding students to devote themselves to the great cause of pursuing space dreams, and have more Wenchang elements incorporated into the history of Chinese aerospace," said Han Liang, vice-mayor of Wenchang.