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Four Chinese monitoring ships in charge of tracking and measuring the Shenzhou VI manned spaceflight encounter rough seas last night. The "Yuanwang" surveying ships, stationed in the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, have prepared emergency schemes in case the situation gets worse. - Xinhua

Four Chinese ships in charge of tracking and measuring the Shenzhou VI's manned space flight encountered bad sea conditions last night.

The No. 3 ship, one of the four "Yuanwang" series of surveying ships stationed in the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, encountered 4-meter-high waves driven up a fresh gale.

All of the four ships have prepared emergency scenarios in case of worsening sea conditions.

China has set up a space telemetry network consisting of some 20 surveying stations on land and four tracking ships to monitor the flight of its second manned spacecraft Shenzhou VI and collect data it transmits from space, according to Jian Shilong, an official in charge of the network.

Since the vessel carried two astronauts into space on Wednesday morning, the four monitoring ships have carried out about 50 tasks, including receiving sound and images from and sending orders to the orbiting spacecraft.

The No. 3 ship conducted an orbit maintenance early yesterday to restore the spacecraft, which had slightly deviated from the orbit due to gravity, to its original trajectory.