China's BeiDou Navigation Satellites Launched - Independent GPS In The Making
China today launched two more BeiDou navigation satellites from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in southwest Sichuan province, making them a total of 13 satellites now. The country wants to be independent of US run Global Positioning System (GPS). BeiDou which is also known as Compass, has been developed for both military and civilian uses.
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China was in news last year for it's #-Link-Snipped-# that included the Shenzhou 8 rocket and the Tiangong 1 module and also for helping Pakistan in the launch of its first communications satellite, PAKSAT-1R. It is vividly clear that the country wants to establish it's mark by becoming a top player in the race for space, now that it is investing billions into their satellite and space programs when the western countries are cutting costs on such projects.
Chinese officials are surely looking forward to reaping huge dividends once they start offering their navigation satellite services to other countries starting with the ones in Asia-Pacific region. Though the operations are only partially complete, China is now the third country in the world to have its own navigation system, the first two being U.S. and Russia.
<div>Â Via: <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-17896353" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">China launches two more Beidou navigation satellites - BBC News</a></div>