China has formally launched its new generation of space tracking ship, Yuanwang-7, on Tuesday following a 60-day trial period, China Radio International (CRI) reported.
The ship is tasked to perform maritime tracing of various space missions later this year, including the manned spaceflight Shenzhou-11.
Shenzhou-11, carrying two astronauts, is set to dock with Tiangong-2, which is the country's second orbiting space lab.The lab launch scheduled this fall is part of China's endeavor to build a permanent station orbiting the Earth by 2022.
Experts say that the docking is predicted to allow the said astronauts to be able to live in space for up to one month.
China is expected to achieve a record-breaking turnover of 20 missions this year. These space missions include the rocket test drive of Long March-7 launched in June.
According to a statement released by Chinese space authorities via State-run Xinhua News Agency, the China-designed vessel marks another breakthrough for the country's effort to foster its space tracking technology.
The construction of Yuanwang-7 kicked off on Oct. 10, 2014 at the Jiangnan Shipyard (Group) Co., Ltd.
The statement revealed that the ship, which is 220 meters long, 40 meters high and has a displacement of 25,000 tons, is capable of resisting strong typhoons.
Apart from this, the vessel could also carry supplied that can last for at most 100 days.
Currently, China has a fleet of seven Yuanwang space tracking ships that has carried around 70 expeditions, travelling an over 1.5 million nautical miles across the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
China launched its first-generation space tracking vessels, the Yuanwang-1 and Yuanwang-2 ships back in 1979.
The country's experience in space tracking makes it the fourth nation in the world to master the technology. China comes after the United States, Russia and France.