BeiDou Navigation Satellite System China

China's navigation system, BeiDou Navigation Satellite System China, relies on a satellite network to offer positional accuracy of fewer than 10 meters. Chen Fangyun and his colleagues came up with the notion of a Chinese satellite navigation system in the 1980s.

History of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System China

• The BeiDou Satellite Navigation Experimental System, often known as BeiDou-1, was the first BeiDou Navigation Satellite System in China.
• BeiDou Navigation Satellite System China was made up of three satellites that began providing limited coverage and navigation services in 2000, mostly to consumers in China and surrounding regions.
• In December 2011, China launched the second edition of the system, popularly known as the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) and also known as COMPASS or BeiDou-2, with a partial constellation of 10 satellites in orbit.
• BeiDou-1 was deactivated at the end of 2012, and BeiDou-2 has been providing services to clients in the Asia-Pacific area since December 2012.
• China launched the BeiDou-3 system, the third generation BeiDou system, in 2015 for worldwide coverage.
• On 30 March 2015, the first BDS-3 satellite was launched.
• In 2016, it was predicted that BeiDou-3 would achieve millimetre-level precision (with post-processing).
• The BeiDou Navigation Satellite System China began delivering worldwide services on 27 December 2018.
• On 23 June 2020, BDS-3's 35th and last satellite was put into orbit.

Features of BeiDou Navigation Satellite System China

• The BeiDou Navigation Satellite System China was manufactured by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) and is operated by China National Space Administration (CNSA) at a Global level.
• There are a total of 35 satellites in BeiDou Navigation Satellite System China orbit from its first launch on 31 October 2000 to its last launch on 23 June 2020.
• It has a signal accuracy of 0.41 meters.

Objectives of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System China

• The BeiDou Navigation Satellite System China project intends to construct a world-class navigation satellite system to suit the country's national security, economic, and social development requirements.
• It seeks to provide worldwide users with consistent, stable, and dependable services.
• It intends to create space infrastructure that can provide the precise navigational, location, and timing services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in all weather.

Significance of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System China

• The BeiDou Navigation Satellite System China promotes BDS-related sectors to help China's economic and social growth as well as raise people's living conditions.
• It aspires to improve international collaboration in the field of satellite navigation by sharing development fruits and broadening the application advantages of global navigation satellite systems.
• BeiDou Navigation Satellite System China also aspires to integrate its use in a variety of industries, including fisheries, agriculture, special care, mass-market applications, forestry, and public security.
• It provides features such as precise location, navigation, time, and communication via brief messages.

According to a white document, China plans to construct a 'ubiquitous, integrated, intelligent, and complete' national PNT (positioning, navigation, and timing) system by 2035, with the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System China as its base.

Chinese aerospace companies are also developing low-earth-orbit satellite constellations to supplement the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System China signal, enhancing accuracy and allowing high-speed data transfer. Despite the completion of the space component, China still has work to perform on the ground to fully utilize Beidou.

FAQs on BeiDou Navigation Satellite System China

Q1. How accurate is BeiDou Navigation Satellite System China?

Ans. BeiDou Navigation Satellite System China signals are accurate down to 0.41 meters.

Q2. Who developed the idea of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System in China?

Ans. Chen Fangyun and his colleagues developed the idea of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System in China.

Q3. When was the first satellite launched for the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System China?

Ans. The first satellite for the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System China was launched on 31 October 2000.

Q4. When was the last satellite launched for the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System China?

Ans. The last satellite for the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System China was launched on 23 June 2020.

Q5. What navigation system does China use?

Ans. China uses BeiDou Navigation Satellite System China for its navigation systems.