China launched the last pair of backup satellites for the BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3) on Thursday, marking a significant milestone in enhancing its global navigation services.
The satellites, designated as the 59th and 60th members of the BeiDou family, were propelled into orbit at 9:14 a.m. Beijing Time from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province. A Long March-3B rocket carried the satellites, further strengthening China's presence in space technology.
These two medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites are set to enhance the system's reliability and improve services such as positioning, navigation, timing, and short message communication for global users, according to China Media Group (CMG).
With the addition of these backup satellites, BDS-3 now operates a total of 30 networking satellites in orbit, most of which have been in service for six years. While these satellites are designed for a lifespan of 10 years, researchers are already planning upgrades for the deployment of new satellites.
"We will enter the deployment of BDS-4, with the two satellites serving as the last additions to BDS-3," said Liu Yingchun, chief designer of BDS-3, in an interview with CMG. "They will also conduct technical verification and exploration besides regular operations in the constellation," Liu added.
From Deep Sea to Space: Expanding Coverage
China has outlined a three-step development strategy for its BeiDou navigation system. The first step was to provide services to domestic users, followed by expanding services to the Asia-Pacific region. The completion of BDS-3 in July 2020 marked the third step, enabling global services and making China the third country to have an independent global navigation satellite system.
However, this achievement is not the end. By 2035, China aims to build a more ubiquitous, integrated, and intelligent comprehensive system with positioning, navigation, and timing capabilities. This advanced system will cover areas from indoor to outdoor, extending from the deep sea to deep space.
To realize this vision, China plans to build a low-orbit constellation system relying on BDS by 2025, aiming to achieve global sharing of centimeter-level positioning services. Additionally, researchers are addressing technical challenges related to navigation signals and interference to enable underwater, indoor, and deep space navigation.
With these developments, China is set to enhance its global navigation capabilities, offering more reliable and precise services to users worldwide, and paving the way for the next generation BeiDou-4 system.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
