Weather detection ship Meteorology 1

Weather detection ship Meteorology 1 was built by Shenyang Aerospace Xinguang Corporation. It is the first unmanned detection ship to be built in China. The ship is currently stationed in Qingdao, where it is providing weather forecasting services for the Olympic sailing competition.

Meteorology 1 was the result of collaboration between Shenyang Xinguang Corporation and China Astronomic Bureau’s Atmosphere Detection Technology Center. The system is composed of the boat itself and a land-based control system.

The ship is self-righting and can survive in heavy seas. It has a powerful engine that can propel it for several hundred kilometers, and the vessel can spend 20 days at sea without requiring maintenance. As well as weather detection, the ship can be used to detect accidents and environmental incidents at sea, as well as acting as a disaster warning system.

Meteorology 1 is just 6.5 meters long, and the whole ship is made of carbon fiber. It is crammed with high technology, such as intelligent navigation, radar, satellite positioning systems, photo processing and transmission.

Meteorology 1 can keep statistics on wind speed, wind direction, temperature, humidity and marine surface temperature. The unmanned ship can also check visibility at sea, which is of particular significance during Olympic sailing bouts.

America and Israel have spent around 10 years researching unmanned ship technology, while China is just starting out. Shenyang Aerospace Xinguang Corporation started work on unmanned meteorology systems in 2003. The company says it has already solved many key technical issues regarding the navigation of unmanned vessels.

(China.org.cn by Hou Xiaoying, August 15, 2008)