China's tracking vessel Yuanwang-6 departed Tuesday from its homeport in east China's Jiangsu Province for a new round of monitoring missions in the Indian Ocean.

Yuanwang-6 returned to its homeport on December 9 last year after completing three satellite monitoring missions.

Before its departure, the ship's crew made a thorough examination and maintenance, ensuring all systems and facilities in good working order.

As China's third-generation space-tracking ship, Yuanwang-6 has taken part in 73 maritime monitoring and control missions, including China's Shenzhou manned spaceship missions. The ship traveled over 50,000 nautical miles in about 240 days last year.

(With input from Xinhua)