Rescue vessels return following Shenzhou launch success
( 2003-10-15 14:32) (Xinhua)
Three rescue vessels,
dispatched to the high seas for possible rescue operation during the launch of
China's first piloted space flight, have been ordered to return following the
launch success, an official source said Wednesday.
The vessels were readied before 5 a.m. Wednesday, four hours before
Shenzhou-5, with an astronaut aboard, was launched atop a Long March-II-F
carrier rocket.
The vessels, Beihai No.102, De Kun and De Yi, are large-capacity ocean going
rescue vessels, said the official with the Maritime Rescue Bureau of the
Ministry of Communications.
These ships arrived in the designated sea areas at 8:00 am Tuesday, and the
final test of their communication with the ministry was carried out between
6:30-7:00 am Wednesday.
These ships were responsible for rescuing the astronaut and searching and
salvaging the re-entry capsule in case the spacecraft developed some technical
snags in the launch process and splashed into the sea.
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