China’s Jiaolong submersible has begun a 103-day mission in the South China Seas.
Jiaolong emerges safely from the first dive Image: Xinhua/Zhang Xudong |
The mission, which the sub will undertake alongside its support ship Xiangyanghong-9, marks the start of a five-year trial period before the Jiaolong starts regular operation.
The first dive was completed successfully, with its crew of three returning safely to the surface.
The Jiaolong sub set a new dive record last year after reaching a depth of 7,062 metres in the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench, which reaches 11,030 metres at its deepest point. However, the latest voyage will not focus on reaching greater depths, but is aimed at wider scientific research.
According to the State Oceanic Administration (SOA the key mission objectives will be conducting deep-sea ecological and geological surveys in the South China Seas; biological surveys, geographic sampling and deep-sea photography in the northeast Pacific Ocean; as well as research on cobalt-rich crusts in the northwest Pacific Ocean.