The historical origin of the Yuanwang survey ship can be traced back to the 70s of the 20th century, when China successfully developed the first modern survey ship, the Yuanwang survey ship. On April 8, 1975, the Preparatory Headquarters of the China Satellite Maritime Tracking and Control Department was formally established, and the survey ship, the main wharf and the corresponding supporting facilities were built simultaneously, opening a glorious chapter in the deep blue of China's astronauts.
Yuanwang No. 1 and No. 2 ships are China's first generation of comprehensive ocean-going space survey vessels, which were completed and launched in 1977 and 1978 respectively, with a length of 191 meters and a width of 226 meters, height 372 meters, full load draft 887 meters, full load displacement 21594 tons, maximum speed 20 knots. At the end of 1979, the Yuanwang No. 1 and No. 2 ships were successively delivered to the China Satellite Maritime Tracking and Control Department, and since then, China has become the fourth country to have a space survey ship after the United States, the Soviet Union and France.
The main responsibilities of the Yuanwang survey fleet are to carry out the maritime tracking and control tasks of rockets, satellites, spacecraft and other spacecraft, and to carry out real-time communication and data exchange with the space mission center to accurately determine the landing points of rockets, satellites and spacecraft.
With the rapid development of China's aerospace industry, the construction of Yuanwang 5 and 6 ships began in 2006. This pair of "sister ships" is China's third-generation comprehensive ocean-going space survey ship with a captain of 2222 meters .
So far, the Yuanwang survey fleet has become an important part of China's aerospace industry and has made important contributions to China's aerospace industry.