Three rescue vessels, dispatched to the high seas for possible rescue operation during the launch of China's first piloted space flight, have been ordered to return following the launch success, an official source said Wednesday.

The vessels were readied before 5 a.m. Wednesday, four hours before Shenzhou-5, with an astronaut aboard, was launched atop a Long March-II-F carrier rocket.

The vessels, Beihai No.102, De Kun and De Yi, are large-capacity ocean going rescue vessels, said the official with the Maritime Rescue Bureau of the Ministry of Communications.

These ships arrived in the designated sea areas at 8:00 am Tuesday, and the final test of their communication with the ministry was carried out between 6:30-7:00 am Wednesday.

These ships were responsible for rescuing the astronaut and searching and salvaging the re-entry capsule in case the spacecraft developed some technical snags in the launch process and splashed into the sea.

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