China to launch two more groups of BeiDou-3 satellites

Two more groups of BeiDou-3 satellites will be launched in November, according to Ran Chengqi, director of China Satellite Navigation Office and deputy chief designer of the Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS).

18 BeiDou-3 satellites will be sent into space around 2018, which are expected to cover the countries and regions along the Belt and Road.

The satellites will help provide service to countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, said Ran.

By 2020, China aims to build its complete global satellite navigation system, meeting the needs of its national security, economic and social development.

"In addition to the broadening of its global coverage, the capacity and reliability of the BDS have been greatly improved. And its positioning accuracy will be doubled or tripled compared with that of the current system as well," said Ran.

China has finished the construction of Beidou-1 and Beidou-2 navigation satellite system.

As the third country, after the US and Russia, to have the ability to develop satellites independently, China plans to make good use of the BDS and to integrate the system with high-tech technologies, such as the Internet of Things and mobile communications technologies.

“The industrial value of China's satellite navigation and location-based service exceeded 200 billion yuan in 2016, up 22.06 percent from 2015,” said Yu Xiancheng, director of the Global Navigation Satellite System and Location Based Service Association of China. “The contribution of the BDS accounted for over 70 percent."

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)