xi's moments
Home | Innovation

China's unmanned submersible to be upgraded after 50th dive

Xinhua | Updated: 2018-04-07 19:09

BEIJING -- China's unmanned submersible Qianlong II has completed 50 dives since its commission, and will have a technology upgrade soon, scientists said.

The undersea vehicle, which is capable of diving to 4,500m, made its 50th dive on April 6 in the Indian Ocean, a part of China's 49th ocean expedition.

Of the 50 dives , 35 were in the Indian Ocean and 15 in the South China Sea, according to China Ocean Mineral Resources R&D Association.

In the southwest Indian Ocean alone, Qianlong II has traveled more than 2,000 km, they said.

The submersible, which first went underwater in 2015, is used for exploring deep-sea mineral resources.

"Its operations have become more stable after 50 dives," said Xu Chunhui, a scientist tasked with equipping the submersible.

Xu said a part of the upgrade will allow the submersible to work without the presence of its mother vessel. A new unmanned monitoring device will track the submersible, freeing the mother vessel for other activities.

Global Edition
BACK TO THE TOP
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349