Yuan Wang - Space Event Ships - 2nd Generation
With the rapid development of China's space technology, the first generation of two Yuanwang ships have been unable to meet the measurement and control requirements. In March 1995, China’s second-generation aerospace ocean-going survey ship, Yuanwang No. 3, was completed and put into use.
Three years later, the Yuanwang fleet added a new force. The National Oceanic Administration’s original Xiangyanghong No. 10 scientific research ship was renamed “Yuanwang No. 4” after technical renovation. On 18 July 1999 a new space tracking ship, Yuan Wang 4, was delivered to the user, China Satellite Launch and Tracking Control General, by China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). This is the 4th tracking ship in China's Yuan Wang space tracking fleet.
The length is 156.2 meters, the ship is 20.6 meters wide, the maximum height is 39 meters, the full displacement is 12,700 tons, and the draft is 7.5 meters. The cruising speed of the ship is 18 knots, the maximum speed is 20 knots, the sea is self-sustaining for 100 days, and the endurance is 18,000 nautical miles.
CNOOC Yuanwang No. 4 survey ship is the most legendary in all Yuanwang series ships, and can also be regarded as a "legend" in Chinese ships. Before becoming Yuanwang No. 4, the ship was the first 10,000-ton ocean-going scientific research vessel designed and manufactured by China---Xiangyanghong No. 10, built by the famous Jiangnan Shipyard. It was launched in 1979 and was built to go to Antarctica. In 1988, he won the National Grand Prize---the National Science and Technology Progress Special Award. In 1998, Xiangyanghong No. 10 was transformed into Yuanwang No. 4 space oceanic survey and control vessel, and continued to contribute to scientific research in different fields of the country.
However, in August 2007, Yuanwang No. 4 suffered an accident at the Jiangyin base. It was hit by a civilian ship and caught fire. After testing, it was found that the main structure was seriously damaged, and it was withdrawn from the sea monitoring and control mission. Yuanwang No. 4 was transformed into the test No. 1 target ship. During a sea test in late June 2016, the warhead of the Dongfeng-21D anti-ship ballistic missile hit the deck of the moving No. 1 target ship and sank into the seabed during the towing process. This was the last mission of the ship from Xiangyanghong 10 to Yuanwang No. 4, and then to the No. 1 target ship. It completed the mission of the whole life in the final.
During the 1999 launch of Shenzhou I Yuan Wang 3, which was on station off the Namibia coast, sent the signal to fire the retro rockets and bring the returning capsule safely out of orbit to a landing northwest of Wuhai in Inner Mongolia, after 14 orbits lasting 21 hours.
On 15 December 2003 "Yuanwang" No.2 survey ship docked at the port for space survey ships. Thus all four "Yuanwang" survey ships had returned home after they successfully completed their survey and control mission over Shenzhou V manned spaceship. Since 08 September 2003 this year, "Yuanwang" survey ships have been sent to the designated sea areas in the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean to carry out survey and control missions for Shenzhou V, China's first manned spaceship.
The four "Yuanwang" survey ships successfully sailed across the Taiwan Strait, Malacca Strait and Cape of Good Hope, covering about 60,000 nautical miles. During this period, crewmembers as well as scientific personnel on the ships overcame various difficulties and successfully completed the survey, remote measurement, remote control, earth-sky data and picture transmission and voice communication for Shenzhou V spaceship during the phases of operation, reentry and orbiting of Shenzhou V. The ships accurately sent 212 remote orders to the spaceship, which was an important contribution to the success of China's first manned space flight.
After going through five times of practical test of the space flight, the survey and control capabilities, the accuracy of survey and control, automation level and reliability of these survey ships have been remarkably improved and the overall survey and control technologies on the sea have been on a par with the world advanced level.
Since its establishment, the "Yuanwang" survey fleet sailed to the three major oceans for 44 times, covering a distance of over 800,000 nautical miles. So far the fleet has carried out more than 50 survey and control missions for space flight with a success rate of 100%.
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