On March 11, the Dongfang Hengyuan—a maritime aerospace launch command and telemetry vessel (also serving as a meteorological and marine test and research vessel), designed and constructed by Harbin Engineering University (HEU) as the project’s lead institution—was successfully launched at Huanghai Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. This milestone marks a new level for China in the field of commercial aerospace, particularly in the development of offshore launch capabilities.
China’s first “mobile command center” for offshore launches
As China’s first high-end marine engineering vessel tailored for the full-process tasks of offshore aerospace launches, the Dongfang Hengyuan is funded by Shandong Offshore Commercial Aerospace Launch Service Co., Ltd. of the Oriental Aerospace Port Group. The vessel has an overall length of 77 meters, a molded breadth of 17.8 meters, a molded depth of 7.6 meters, a designed draft of 4 meters, and a design displacement of 3,200 tons. It has a cruising speed of 15 knots and a maximum speed of 18 knots. It can provide equipment support for tasks such as maritime surveys, scientific research, and professional training in marine hydrology within China’s territorial waters, as well as support scientific research and testing of marine hydrological equipment and major special projects.
In May 2024, HEU, as the lead institution, successfully won the bid for the hydrological detection platform project, which includes the Dongfang Hengyuan maritime aerospace launch command and telemetry vessel and the Dongfang Hengjing offshore test platform. Recognizing the importance of the project, HEU made dedicated arrangements to supervise, promote, and coordinate its progress, adopting a dual-track management mechanism of “Chief Commander + Chief Engineer.” The university delivered the Dongfang Hengjing offshore test platform with high quality in November 2025 and has now successfully launched the Dongfang Hengyuan. The vessel is expected to be delivered and put into operation in June 2026.
In response to national development needs, HEU will continue to leverage its strengths in interdisciplinary fields related to naval architecture and ocean engineering, further advance the integration of “Ocean + Aerospace” disciplines, and make greater contributions to national development.
