China has employed the services of a high-tech space tracking ship as part of the nation's efforts to boost its space exploration program.

According to the China Satellite Maritime Tracking and Control Department, the vessel has been tapped specifically to provide support to the Shenzhou XI manned mission, China Daily reported.

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The 220-meter-long, 40-meter-high Yuanwang 7 has a displacement of 30,000 metric tons, is capable of resisting strong typhoons, and can operate for at least 100 days at sea, the department said in a statement.

The proposal to build the ship was approved by the State Council in September 2012. Its construction by Jiangnan Co. started in October 2014.

China's space tracking ship is considered the most technologically advanced seacraft the nation has built primarily for the purpose of tracking and controlling spacecraft.

The department noted that the ship will extensively boost the country's space exploration capabilities.

To recall, China assembled its first tracking ship, the Yuanwang 1, in the late 1970s.

This made China the fourth nation in the world - after the United States, the former Soviet Union and France - to operate such a vessel.

To date, the Yuanwang fleet has completed around 100 expeditions, travelling millions of kilometers across the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.

So far, China is operating four space tracking ship, which include the Yuanwang 3, Yuanwang 5, Yuanwang 6, and now the latest one, the Yuanwang 7.

The Yuanwang 7 will form part of the Tiangong II space laboratory mission and the Shenzhou XI manned mission that are set to be launched this coming fall.

Meanwhile, the Tiangong II will be launched in mid-September, while the Shenzhou XI, with two male astronauts, will dock at the space lab one month later.

The Shenzhou was the nation's last manned mission, as it transported in June 2013 three astronauts to the Tiangong I space laboratory.

China's latest space tracking ship is expected to significantly contribute to the country's space exploration program. 

Tagschina, China Space Tracking Ship, China Satellite Maritime Tracking and Control Department