China reveals Blue Whale, high-speed submersible unmanned vessel

ISTANBUL

China unveiled a high-tech, high-speed submersible unmanned surface vessel called Blue Whale on Monday, capable of operating both above and below water, Xinhua News reported.

The vessel, launched in Zhuhai in the southern Guangdong province, can achieve surface speeds of 36 knots (66.6 km/h, 41 mph).

It can be used for meteorology, underwater mapping, photography, water sampling, and infrastructure inspections, including submarine cable maintenance.

Construction of the engineering model began in June 2024, involving pressure-resistant welding, hull assembly, and equipment installation. Final stages such as internal testing, mooring trials, and additional sea tests are set to be completed before the vessel's expected operational launch in 2026.

Separately, China on Sunday successfully launched a new data relay satellite into orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the Sichuan province in southwestern China.

The Tianlian II-05 satellite was launched at 11.54 pm (1554GMT) aboard a Long March-3B carrier rocket and successfully entered its planned orbit.

Tianlian II-05 is China's second-generation geosynchronous orbit data-relay satellite. It will provide data relay and TT&C (telemetry, tracking, and command) services for manned spacecraft such as spaceships and space stations, offer support for medium and low-Earth-orbit resource satellites, and assist in TT&C for spacecraft launches.

The launch marked the 572nd flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.