Yuanwang-5, China's third-generation spacecraft tracking ship, set sail for monitoring missions in a predetermined sea area on Monday, embarking on its maiden voyage in 2023.

The vessel departed from Jiangyin City in east China's Jiangsu Province.

The voyage is expected to be Yuanwang-5's longest one since 2020. Preparatory work, including supply replenishment, equipment maintenance, route formulation and meteorological observation, had been done for a smooth voyage.

Measuring 222.2 meters long, 25.2 meters wide and 40.85 meters high, the vessel has a full load displacement of 25,000 tonnes and can withstand wind scale up to 12.

The ship mainly undertakes maritime tracking, monitoring and communication tasks concerning rockets, satellites, spaceships and China's space station.