China’s GPS-like satellite navigation system has been in the works for over two decades.
Global times
China successfully launched the last satellite of its Beidou navigation system on Tuesday. It is Beijing’s response to the US government’s GPS and will help the country reduce its dependence on American technology.
The satellite was launched shortly before 10 a.m. local time from the Xichang Satellite Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan, from where it was broadcast live. About 20 minutes after the start, this was considered a success.
China has been working on its own satellite navigation network for more than two decades. The development of Beidou, which means Big Dipper in Mandarin, began in the mid-1990s when the Chinese military tried to drop the GPS operated by the US Air Force. It offers another option for the US GPS, the Russian GLONASS, the Galileo of the European Union and the Indian NavIC.
This is Beidou’s third iteration, which promises to offer global navigation and communications services after the first and second iteration provide coverage in China and Asia Pacific respectively. In fact, most phones from Chinese companies, including Huawei, already support Beidou.
China’s navigation network consists of a total of 55 satellites, including 30 satellites that are part of the third version of Beidou. Last year, China overhauled the U.S. satellite navigation system and launched more satellites into space than the original GPS system it was working on emulating.