Sunday, April 16, 2006

Yuan Wang 1 Series (#1 of 3)



July 16, 2005 - Being a port city, Fremantle has some interesting vessels paying a visit. This is Yuan Wang 1 (Yuanwang meaning Long View), a Chinese tracking and support vessel for satellites, missiles, spacecraft, etc. It is one of four ships (along with Yuan Wang 2, Yuan Wang 3 and Yuan Wang 4... a surprising naming standard) that work together to serve these purposes.

During the Shenzhou spacecraft flights, the four ships are positioned at different locations around the world. They aid in monitoring and controlling these manned space missions.

When this photo was taken, the Fremantle Ports website listed this ship as Yuan Wang 1. Some internet sources, however, mention that Yuan Wang 4 is used in the Indian Ocean, hence making stops at Fremantle Port. I still note this as being Yuan Wang 1, as it is what was listed to be docked at the port.

This is the first of three photographs in the Yuan Wang 1 series.

Vantage point: 32°03'08.60" S, 115°44'32.70" E

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home