New- gen space tracking ship Yuanwang- 7 begins monitor mission

New- generation spacecraft tracking ship Yuanwang- 7 started its maritime monitoring and communication mission for Tianzhou- 1, China’s first cargo spacecraft, on Monday morning.

Yuanwang- 7 is sailing into the Pacific Ocean for its first independent voyage. During its maiden voyage in July 2016, the ship was accompanied by Yuanwang- 6.

The vessel is also expected to perform emergency response and scientific tasks after reaching its destination in the Pacific Ocean on Thursday.

Yuanwang- 7, part of the country’s latest generation of spacecraft tracking ships, entered service on July 12, 2016.

It has previously performed scientific research and experiment- related tasks, including tracking missions for the maiden flight of the Long March- 5, and the space rendezvous and docking of manned spacecraft Shenzhou- 11 and the Tiangong- 2 space lab.

Construction on Yuanwang- 7 started in 2014. The vessel is 224.9 meters long, 27.2 meters wide and 44.2 meters tall, and has a displacement of 27,000 tons. It is capable of resisting strong typhoons, and can carry 100 days of supplies.

The Yuanwang- 1 and Yuanwang- 2 ships, China’s first- generation space tracking vessels, entered service in 1979, making China the fourth country to master space- tracking technology after the US, Russia and France.

In 2016, the Yuanwang ships completed 14 major scientific research and experiment tasks, including the maiden flights of the Long March- 7 and the Long March- 5, and the space journeys of the Tiangong- 2 space lab and the Shenzhou- 11 manned spacecraft.