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Space-tracking vessel to open to public in HK

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-04-23 22:04

HONG KONG -- The Chinese mainland's space-tracking ship Yuanwang VI will be open to the public with 14,000 free tickets during its visit to Hong Kong since next Wednesday, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government said on Thursday.

Yuanwang VI will arrive in Hong Kong on April 29 for a six-day visit. The space tracking ship will berth at Ocean Terminal, Tsim Sha Tsui, from April 30 to May 3, with 14,000 free tickets available for the public to board it.

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An exhibition on the ship will run from April 29 to May 4 at Ocean Terminal, and a free public lecture will be held at April 30 at the Science Museum conducted by the ship's captain and scientists.

The visit to Hong Kong by Yuanwang VI will kick off a host of activities in the special administrative region to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

A young astronaut training camp will be held by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of HKSAR government and the China Astronaut Research and Training Center during the summer break. Participants can visit Beijing Space City and the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, and undergo simulated astronaut training.

Construction of Yuanwang VI was completed in 2008. It represents a new generation of space-tracking ships designed and manufactured in the Chinese mainland. On its maiden voyage last September, Yuanwang VI was engaged in maritime tracking of the Shenzhou VII manned space mission.

In all, China boasts a fleet of six Yuanwang space tracking ships which have carried out some 70 expeditions and traveled more than 1.5 million nautical miles(about 2.8 million km) in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.

The tracking ships constitute China's space telemetry network together with some 20 terrestrial surveying stations.