Article Posted on : - Jul 27, 2011

The satellite was launched by a Long March-3A carrier rocket. A China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology photo

BEIJING (BNS): China on Wednesday successfully put in orbit its ninth ‘Beidou’ navigation satellite to boost the indigenous satellite navigation network.

The satellite was launched by a Long March-3A carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China’s Sichuan Province.

The rocket blasted off at 5:44 a.m. Beijing time Wednesday and placed the Beidou or Compass satellite into a geostationary satellite, the official Xinuha news agency said.

China began building its own Global Positioning System (GPS) in 2000 and developed the Beidou-1 system, consisting of three satellites. The satellites constellation has been providing navigation services across China and neighbouring countries.

To further widen the navigation and positioning network, China launched the Beidou-2 programme in 2007 under which it orbited eight Beidou satellites by April 2011.

The newly-launched satellite, the ninth in the series, joins this network which will eventually consist of 35 satellites.

The constellation of satellites will provide navigation services with high precision and credibility for industries and sectors including mapping, fishery, transportation, meteorology and telecommunication in the Asia-Pacific region.

The network is expected to provide worldwide services by 2020.