China launches new high-orbit satellite to boost its global navigation system

Beijing: China on Friday successfully launched a high orbit satellite to boost its home-grown BeiDou global satellite navigation system being built to rival the Global Positioning System (GPS) of the United States.

The satellite was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in the southwestern Sichuan Province, state-run Xinhua reported.

Launched on a Long March-3B carrier rocket, it is the 41st of the BeiDou navigation system, and will work with 16 other Beidou-3 satellites already in orbit, the report said.

It is also the first BeiDou-3 satellite in high orbit, about 36,000 km above the Earth. In a geostationary orbit, following the Earth's rotation, it will view the same point on Earth continuously.

A basic system with BeiDou-3 satellites orbiting will be in place by the year-end to serve countries in the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Yang Changfeng, chief designer of the system was quoted as saying in the report.

This year has seen an intensive launch of BeiDou satellites. China will launch another two satellites into space by the end of this year, Yang

said.