China has launched a satellite to support its global navigation and positioning network. The satellite, launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan, was taken into orbit by a Long March-3A carrier rocket.

• It is the 22nd satellite in the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), which is being developed as an alternative to US GPS.
• It was the 225th launch of the Long March carrier rocket.
• The satellite, after entering its designed work orbit and finishing in-orbit testing, will join others already in orbit and improve the stability of the system, preparing for BDS to offer global coverage.

Did You Know?

• Beidou consists of two separate satellite constellations – a limited test system that has been operating since 2000, and a full-scale global navigation system that is currently under construction.
• The official English name of the system is BeiDou Navigation Satellite System.
• It is named after the Big Dipper constellation, which is known in Chinese as Běidǒu.
• The name literally means “Northern Dipper”, the name given by ancient Chinese astronomers to the seven brightest stars of the Ursa Major constellation.
• Historically, this set of stars was used in navigation to locate the North Star Polaris. As such, the name BeiDou also serves as a metaphor for the purpose of the satellite navigation system.