BeiDou system to cover the world by 2020
Print Edition
CHINA’S BeiDou Navigation Satellite System will cover the globe with a constellation of 35 satellites by 2020, according to a government report.
By 2018, the system is expected to provide basic services to nations along the Belt and Road trade route, as well as neighboring countries, said a white paper issued yesterday .
China aims to build “a world-class navigation satellite system” to meet the needs of the country’s national security as well as economic and social development, and provide “continuous, stable and reliable” services for global users, the report said.
The country would like to “share the fruits of development in the field of satellite navigation, increasing the comprehensive application benefits of the global navigation satellite system,” it said.
China upholds the principles of independence, openness, compatibility and gradualness in developing the system, it said.
It will uphold its “independent construction, development and operation,” and acquire the capability to independently provide satellite navigation services to global users.
It will also provide open satellite navigation services free of charge, and encourage multilevel and high-quality international cooperation and exchanges.
Compatibility and interoperability with other navigation systems will be enhanced and the project would proceed “step by step,” improving service performance and boosting the satellite navigation industry in a comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable manner, the white paper said.
The BeiDou project began in 1994 and was completed in 2000 with a test system coded BDS-1 providing users in China with positioning, timing, wide-area differential and short message communication services. For BDS-1, China launched two satellites in 2000 and the third in 2003.
BDS-2 began in 2004, and by the end of 2012 a total of 14 satellites had been launched to complete the constellation.
The third step, aiming to complete a fully-established system, began in 2009 and will be finished by 2020.
According to the report, thanks to a hybrid constellation consisting of satellites in three kinds of orbits, the BDS operates more satellites in high orbits and offers better anti-shielding capabilities than other systems, particularly observable in terms of performance in low-latitude areas.
It provides navigation signals of multiple frequencies with better accuracy and integrates navigation and communication capabilities for the first time, enabling five major functions — real-time navigation, rapid positioning, precise timing, location reporting and short message communication.
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