China Launches New BeiDou Navigation Satellite

China Launches New BeiDou Navigation Satellite
Advertisement

China launched a new-generation satellite into space for its indigenous BeiDou global navigation and positioning network on Monday.

Launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in the south-western Chinese province of Sichuan, the satellite was boosted by a Long March-3C carrier rocket developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, reported the state-run Xinhua news agency.

This is the 17th satellite for the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS). The launch marked the beginning of an expansion of the BDS from regional to global coverage.

The latest satellite will be tasked with testing a new type of navigation signalling and inter-satellite links, providing a basis to start building the global network, according to the report.

An independent aircraft was installed on the carrier rocket, marking the first time China has used such a technology in launching a spacecraft into medium to high orbit.

The aircraft, dubbed a "shuttle bus in space", can send one or more spacecraft into different orbits in space.

China launched the first BDS satellite in 2000. The BDS began providing positioning, navigation, timing and short message services to civilian users in China and surrounding areas in the Asia-Pacific in December 2012.

The system has been gradually put into use in sectors like transportation, weather forecasting, marine fishing, forestry and telecommunication.

The new satellite was developed by the Shanghai Engineering Centre for Microsatellites, a non-profit organisation established by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Shanghai municipal government.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Facebook Events' Subscribe Button Notifies Users About Nearby Events
Dead or Alive 5: Last Round for PC Missing Key Features
Share on Facebook Gadgets360 Twitter Share Tweet Snapchat Share Reddit Comment google-newsGoogle News
 
 

Advertisement

Follow Us

Advertisement

© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2024. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »