bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Liu Zhen

China has carried out tests on an upgraded deep-sea vessel in the South China Sea to prepare it for ocean research missions, according to state media.
The crewed submersible vessel Jiaolong, capable of diving to more than 7,000 metres (23,000 feet), recently finished a month-long trial following some major upgrades and showed improvements in much more frequent and intensive operations, state broadcaster CCTV said on Wednesday.
“The Jiaolong, after its technological upgrade, will be sent right away into a number of intensive scientific research missions,” the report said.
“More than 80 dives are expected in 2025, which will set a new record for the Jiaolong’s annual operations.”
These missions will include studies of the Western Pacific, the Arctic and the Indian Ocean for the Ministry of Natural Resources, and a further joint voyage to the Indian Ocean with a team from the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
During the trial, the submersible carried out a record 14 diving sorties in 10 days, including four days in which it made two dives – a new record for this vessel.
On nine dives there were more scientists on board than professional divers, something that allows more scientific tasks to be carried out during each sortie.
The enhancements to the Jiaolong “provided a strong guarantee for future high-intensity operations”, according to CCTV.


The trial also included the tests of the vessel’s new lithium battery system, low-noise propulsion system, deep-sea buoyancy adjustment system and emergency hydraulic system at a depth of 3,000 metres and had proved that these domestic-made parts were “reliable and safe”, it added.
One of the most advanced submersibles, the Jiaolong entered service in 2009. It has completed more than 300 missions so far and explored the depths of the Pacific, Indian Ocean and the Atlantic.
In a mission in 2010, divers from the Jiaolong placed a Chinese flag at the bottom of the South China Sea, angering rival claimants.
In 2012, it set a record by diving to a depth of 7,062 metres during tests in the Mariana Trench – the deepest underwater valley on Earth – in the Western Pacific.
This record was broken in 2020 by another Chinese submersible, the Fendouzhe, which descended more than 10,000 metres into the deepest point of the Mariana Trench, as China races with the West to develop its maritime exploration capabilities.


Chinese universities surpass US rivals in AI ranking – and then there is DeepSeek

Solar fury blinds China’s stealth-detecting radar, inspiring cosmic early warning network

US cyber expert Wang Xiaofeng ‘is safe’ after FBI raids, source says

On way to harnessing nuclear fusion, Chinese HL-3 reactor hits ‘dual 100 million degrees’

Science

China finishes deep-sea tests on upgraded Jiaolong submersible

The Jiaolong recently finished a month-long trial. Photo: National Deep Sea Centre

China unveils a powerful deep-sea cable cutter that could reset the world order

A new device built by Chinese engineers can cut through undersea communications cables. Photo: Shutterstock

Testing the device, which can easily slice through deep-sea cables. Photo: China Ship Scientific Research Centre

Tiny Chinese drone conquers Earth’s deepest point, beyond reach of US Navy

Beihang University researchers and collaborators have developed a miniature robot that features technology that could lead the way for a new generation of deep-sea exploration vehicles. Photo: Beihang University

The miniature deep-sea drone is deployed to swim into the Mariana Trench. Photo: Beihang University

Schematics show how the miniature drone manoeuvres. Image: Beihang University

News

China

The month-long trial shows that upgrades will allow it to complete more frequent and intensive scientific research missions, state media says


The month-long trial shows that upgrades will allow it to complete more frequent and intensive scientific research missions, state media says.


China technology

South China Sea