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
»Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp'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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