China has launched its latest model of space tracking ship, Yuangwang-7, for maritime tracking of manned spacecraft Shenzhou-11 and other space missions that will start towards the end of the year.
The ship, which was launched following a trial period of 60 days, "marks a new high for China's space tracking technology", said Chinese space authorities in a statement published on Tuesday by official news agency Xinhua.
The 220-metre long and 40-metre high ship, whose construction began in October 2014, is resistant to typhoons and can transport supplies for 100 days.
China has developed a fleet of seven Yuanwang space tracking ships that have carried out 70 expeditions and sailed more than 1.5 million nautical miles in the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
With the launch of the first generation ships in 1979, China joined a list of countries, including the United States, Russia and France that had mastered space tracking technology.
According to Beijing two astronauts will travel on Shenzhou-11 ship to live in space for 30 days after docking with the Tiangong-2 space laboratory, which during the weekend reached its launch pad in the Gobi desert, about 1600 km from Beijing, from where it will be launched in mid-September.
The laboratory launch is part of the Chinese program to establish a permanent station around the Earth by 2022.
This year, China will accumulate a record turnover of 20 missions, including the rocket test drive of locally-manufactured Long March-7, successfully launched on June 25 and set to become the transport vehicle of future models of Chinese space stations.
