"The Yangtze River No 3 found the target, the Yangtze River No 3 tracked normally." When these messages are received, it is the Yuanwang No 3 ship that starts to perform in a predetermined sea area.

Yuanwang No 3 is China's second-generation aerospace ocean-going survey vessel. And it is mainly responsible for offshore monitoring and control of spacecraft and satellites. Since its commissioning, it has sailed 52 times, going as far as the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.

So far it has completed 83 major sea monitoring and control tasks successfully, setting a record for the longest total voyage, the highest number of tasks performed, and a 100 percent success rate.

Behind the success of these missions are lonely and dim figures comprising the crew of the Yuanwang.

Xinhua