14 DAY TRIAL // The China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced some time ago that it plans to have a fully functional satellite navigation system installed in Earth's orbit by 2020, and it took an important step in this direction on Monday, April 30, when it launched two new navigation satellites.
The spacecraft took off aboard an 18-story-high Long March 3B heavy-lift delivery system, from the Xichang Space Center. Launch occurred at 4:50 am local time on Monday (2050 GMT on Sunday), and went on flawlessly.
China is developing the Beidou satnav system as an alternative to the US Air Force's Global Positioning System (GPS). The United States do not provide high-resolution services to other nations, which is the main reasons why Russia and the European Union are building their own networks.
The American army uses the GPS to offer accurate positioning data to its troops, for surveillance, monitoring, and a host of other applications. CNSA was mandated with providing the exact same capability for China, and is working tirelessly towards this goal, Space reports.
In addition to military applications, navigation and positioning systems can be used by personal vehicles, airlines, boats and emergency personnel engaged in search-and-rescue efforts.
According to Chinese officials, the launch that occurred on Monday is the first to see the delivery of two Beidou satellites on the same carrier rocket. The Long March 3B nose fairing was adapted to support the installation of two spacecraft on top of each other.
For Beidou, China selected a geosynchronous orbit some 21,500 kilometers (13,359 miles) above Earth's surface. The satellites destined for these vantage points are usually injected into lower orbits, and then use onboard propulsion to move at higher altitudes, and circularize their orbits.
The Asian nation plans to complete its 35-satellite constellation within 8 years, an ambitious task, but one that is undoubtedly achievable. Over the past decade, CNSA has proven that it has great potential, and is currently among the most active space agencies in the world.
At this point, Beidou consists of only 11 satellites, which are undergoing tests over the Asia-Pacific region. Several other satellite launches are planned for later in the year, although more details about these plans have not been revealed.
The Chinese government has announced that the Beidou data it will make available to the general public will have an accuracy of just 10 meters (33 feet), lower than that of GPS. The most high-quality data will be used by the Chinese military and government agencies.