China sent two new satellites of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) into space on a Long March-3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province at 2:07 a.m. Monday.

The satellites entered a medium earth orbit more than three hours later and will work with 17 other BDS-3 satellites already in space. They are also the 42nd and 43rd satellites of the BDS satellite family.

With the successful launch, the basic BDS constellation deployment is complete. China plans to provide navigation services with the BDS-3 to the Belt and Road partner countries by the end of this year, marking a key step toward a global navigation service.

From compass to BeiDou: Chinese wisdom helps navigate Belt and Road
When the Chinese invented the compass, humanity steered into uncharted waters. Now China is navigating the world in the new era of global exchange with a new option - its fledging BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS).

With the launch of two new BDS-3 satellites on Monday, China will complete the basic navigation system and start to provide services for countries participating in the Belt and Road initiative by the end of this year.

"This is a key step for BDS developing from a domestic Chinese system to a regional and then a global navigation system," said Yang Changfeng, chief designer of the BeiDou system.

China plans to launch another 11 BDS-3 satellites in the coming two years. By the end of 2020, the BeiDou system, named after the Chinese term for the Big Dipper constellation, will become global, and provide high-precision, reliable positioning, navigation and timing services anywhere in the world.

"China developed BDS through a unique technological approach, contributing Chinese wisdom to the theory and construction of international satellite navigation systems," said Xie Jun, deputy chief designer of the Beidou system.

Altogether 18 BDS satellites have been sent into space from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province in 2018.

Chi Jun, head of the BDS-3 satellite team from the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), has been in the valley of the launch center for more than six months.

As head of the team, Chi has never seen a BDS satellite launch, as he has to monitor data on a computer each time.

"This year has seen the most intensive launch of the BDS satellites. We improved our work efficiency by reforming the management process. The number of satellite staff at the launch center has been reduced by nearly half, and the testing time before launch has been shortened by nearly a third," said Chi.

In the CAST production base in Beijing, several BDS satellites are being manufactured at the same time.

"We try to improve intelligent manufacturing capability, and cut down production times. Construction of the BDS-3 system has accelerated," Chi said.

Source: Xinhua News

Related Links
BeiDou Navigation Satellite System
GPS Applications, Technology and Suppliers

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Finland summons Russian ambassador over GPS blocking claims
Helsinki (AFP) Nov 17, 2018
Finland has summoned Russia's ambassador to answer allegations that Moscow was behind the jamming of GPS signals in Lapland during recent NATO exercises, the foreign ministry in Helsinki confirmed Saturday. Ambassador Pavel Kuznetsov "has been invited to the ministry on Monday to discuss the GPS issue," spokeswoman Hanna Paivarinta told AFP. Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila has said the jamming of GPS satellite signals in the Arctic region had put civil aviation at risk. The jamming coinci ... read more