BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS)

 

GPS / China says BeiDou navigation satellite system is completely function now

  

 Live: China issues The White Paper on China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System in the New Era 

 

 China's State Council Information Office releases The White Paper on China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System in the New Era and invites Ran Chengqi, director general of the China Satellite Navigation Office and spokesperson of BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, as well as a spokesperson of the State Council Information Office to introduce the white paper. #OfficialRelease 

 

China releases white paper on BDS, outlines development in new era

 File photo of a model of the Beidou Satellite Navigation System.Photo:Xinhua

 

 
China issued a white paper on the country's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) on Friday.

"China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System in the New Era," the white paper said that BDS has been built into a world-class navigation system. It laid out how China plans to refine the system by improving its operation management, promoting sustainable development of BDS-based applications, and upgrading its governance in the coming years.

The white paper noted that BDS is dedicated to the world, and China will step up international cooperation for better compatibility and interoperability between BDS and other navigation satellite systems.

China is committed to "building a comprehensive spatiotemporal system that is more extensive, more integrated and more intelligent on the next generation of BDS," said the document released by the State Council Information Office.

It pointed out that China is ready to share its achievements in developing BDS, and it will work with all other countries to promote the development of navigation satellite systems and make an even greater contribution to building a global community of shared future and a better world. 

 

All BDS-3 satellites working well, contributing to top-class navigation system with unique advantages: white paper

 

The China-developed BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) has become a top-class system with cutting-edge technologies and powerful functions, according to a white paper released Friday. China is ready to share its achievements in developing the BDS and provide services to all other countries, it said.

Titled "China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System in the New Era," the white paper published by the State Council Information Office introduced how China plans to further refine the system by improving its operation management, developing BDS-based applications, and upgrading its governance in the coming years.

The 30 in-orbit satellites of the third-generation series of the BeiDou system, or BDS-3, which officially joined commissioning in July 2020, are in good operating condition, Ran Chengqi, spokesperson for the system, said at the press conference on Friday.

The millions of components of the satellites, in more than 300 categories, are all domestically produced with excellent performances, Ran said.

Data showed that the global positioning accuracy of BDS-3 is within 5 meters, with the performance in the Asia-Pacific region even better. In general, the service performance of BDS-3 is better than the designed index, the spokesperson said.

The system offers six special services, namely international search and rescue, global short message communication, regional short message communication, satellite-based augmentation, ground-based augmentation, and precision single-point positioning.

It is the world's first navigation satellite system to provide a global short message communication service, the white paper noted.

"The 100 percent independent development and operation of BDS core components has laid a solid foundation for its wide use," it said.

Chinese experts said that compared with GPS and GLONASS, the BDS has its own advantages in navigation, positioning accuracy, timing, speed measurement, and short message transmissions.

Song Zhongping, a space expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Friday that the BDS offers the global short message communication service, which is unique in the world.

BDS has achieved global coverage with world-class accuracy. China will continue to improve the reliability, accuracy and safety of the BDS by deploying more satellites next year, Song said.

BDS is also dedicated to the world, Ran noted at the conference, noting that China will step up international cooperation for better compatibility and interoperability between BDS and other navigation satellite systems.

It has signed signal interoperability statements with GPS and GLONASS, and is discussing cooperation with the Galileo system. Under the framework of the United Nations, China promoted the realization of multi-system compatibility and sharing, so as to jointly provide more high-quality and diversified, safe and reliable services for global users.

BDS has established cooperation mechanisms with organizations and countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, with more than 50 documents signed since 2016.

The white paper pointed out that China is ready to share its achievements in developing BDS, and it will work with all other countries to promote the development of navigation satellite systems and make an even greater contribution to building a global community with a shared future.

BDS provides many services for the Belt and Road Initiative and friendly countries, including transportation in the civilian field, urban surveys, urban planning, aircraft navigation and so on, Song said. "Whatever GPS can do, BDS can do it as well."

According to Song, another way of cooperation is setting up dual-mode navigation systems. For example, on a certain chip or a certain system, there can be both GPS navigation and BDS. "This switching mode makes the navigation more secure and reliable."

China will further upgrade BDS technologies, functions and services. The goal is to create a comprehensive spatiotemporal system that is more extensive, integrated and intelligent, and that provides flexible, smart, precise and secure navigation, positioning and timing services.

In building a more powerful BDS, China will create its own smart and distinctive system for operation, maintenance and management.

China began to develop its own navigation satellite system in 1994. BDS-1 entered service and began providing positioning services in China at the end of 2000. At this point, China became the third country in the world with a navigation satellite system. BDS-2 was completed in 2012, providing passive positioning services to the Asia-Pacific region.

In less than three years, 18 rockets sent 30 satellites into orbit, a pace unmatched by any other country. In 2020, BDS-3 was formally commissioned to provide satellite navigation services worldwide. 

 

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 Tech Breakdown

Hoaw to use BeiDou navigation system on your phone

 

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 Beidou Grows into World-class Navigation System in Terms of Accuracy: Chief Designer

  

 

 

 

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5G services: TM launches first-phase for unifi customers, 5G services by year-end, door still open to Maxis

 

5G services: TM launches first-phase for unifi customers, 5G services by year-end, door still open to Maxis

  TM launches first-phase 5G services for unifi customers   KUALA LUMPUR: Telekom Malaysia Bhd TM) launched the first-phase of its 5G serv...

 

China successfully sends final satellite of BeiDou system into space, completes China's GPS Network

 

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5G services: TM launches first-phase for unifi customers, 5G services by year-end, door still open to Maxis

 TM launches first-phase 5G services for unifi customers

 

KUALA LUMPUR:Telekom Malaysia Bhd TM) launched the first-phase of its 5G services, which includes unlimited data for existing unifi mobile postpaid customers as well as new postpaid and prepaid customers.

TM group chief executive officer Imri Mokhtar said the 5G service would reinforce the company’s leadership in fixed-mobile services for consumer and micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) segments, strengthening its mobile capabilities to provide the widest and fastest all-in-one solution.

“With 5G currently covering more than 33% of populated areas throughout Malaysia, this first phase is key to growing TM’s reach and presents the opportunity for a new push in unifi’s convergence play, riding on its strength of three million households and close to 400,000 MSME customers,” he said in a statement yesterday.

In addition, TM will continue to modernise the country’s fibre network architecture, integrating automation and virtualisation technologies to boost back-end infrastructures that will support the anticipated demand for 5G.

TM recently launched its 5G Sphere, an ecosystem of leading technology and smart solution partners that will accelerate the co-creation of innovative 5G use cases, taking enterprise 5G transformation from ideation to realisation. To date, there are 39 partners in the programme.

TM said its nation-building efforts with the government will also speed up the availability of smart cities, smart industries and 5G-enabled applications, creating a more sustainable and inclusive digital society and economy. — Bernama 

5G services to 12 million hand-phone user by year-end

PETALING JAYA: Some 12 million Malaysians will begin to have access to the fifth-generation (5G) mobile services by the end of this year, says caretaker Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa.

The announcement by Annuar comes after five out of six telcos had met the Oct 31 deadline to ink the reference access offer (RAO)with Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) for the implementation of the country’s 5G network.

“Before the companies could offer their services to the public, they had to sign the access agreement before the Oct 31 deadline.

“The agreement was signed to enable the companies to fix the bundle or retail prices from DNB and subsequent price offers to the public,” he said at a press conference yesterday.

He said that among the telcos that had met the deadline were Celcom Axiata Bhd, Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd, YTL Communications Sdn Bhd, Telekom Malaysia Bhd and U Mobile Sdn Bhd.

He clarified that there was some confusion among mobile phone users as to the eventual rollout of 5G services in the country.

“Many complain why talk about 5G when they can’t even get the 4G or 5G services yet.

“There was confusion as the earlier mention of 5G was done generally and this referred to the development of the infrastructure where the rollout of services had yet to begin,” he said.

With the conclusion of the RAO, Annuar said that the telcos are expected to begin offering their 5G services by the end of this year to some 12 million handphone users in the country.

He noted that only those using mobile phones with 5G capabilities will be able to access the service.

Malaysia’s 5G network is being rolled out by DNB, with the five telcos taking a stake in the former and by inking access agreements with it.

The telcos are then to compete by using the same infrastructure to roll out their 5G-related services.

Currently, 5G access is available in the Klang Valley, Johor, Melaka, Negri Sembilan, Perak, Penang and Kelantan.

By MARTIN CARVALHO mart3@thestar.com.my

 

5G door still open to Maxis

Malaysia’s largest mobile network operator (MNO),  Maxis Bhd, will not be able to roll out 5G services to its over nine million mobile subscribers until the company signs a network access agreement with Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB)

While the deadline to sign the access agreement expired on Oct 30, DNB chief operating officer Nasution Mohamed told StarBiz that Maxis still had the chance to ink the agreement “anytime” in the future.

“But its capacity commitment will be at a premium to those that had concluded on Oct 30.

“Maxis will have to commit to greater capacity off-take over the next 10 years, not necessarily having to pay more,” he said.

Nasution explained that Maxis had expressed its interest to be part of the country’s 5G journey via the single wholesale network (SWN) model.

“I believe it is sorting out some matters internally. Once it is settled, it can sign the access agreement,” he said.

In a statement issued late evening yesterday, Maxis said it was still assessing the governance requirements for the 5G access agreement.

“Maxis is committed to bringing this to a close as soon as possible.

“Meanwhile, the company has already been developing multi-industry use cases and forging partnerships with major players for 5G services and solutions,” it said.

The country’s 5G infrastructure is being rolled out by DNB under the SWN model. Telecommunication companies (telcos) that have signed the access agreement can tap onto the DNB-owned 5G infrastructure and spectrum by paying a wholesale price.

The telcos will then transfer the 5G access to end-users, alongside their other value-added offerings, at a marked-up pricing.

Excluding Maxis, the remaining five MNOs have executed the network access agreement for a 10-year period, confirmed Nasution.

The MNOs are Axiata Group Bhd, U Mobile Sdn Bhd, Digi.com Bhd, Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) and YTL Communications Sdn Bhd (YES).

The signing of the access agreements comes after Axiata, Digi, TM and YES agreed to take up a collective 65% stake in DNB this month.

The government will retain the remaining 35% stake and hold a golden share.

U Mobile and Maxis have declined to take up equity in DNB.

The access agreements were finally executed after multiple rounds of delays previously.

However, this does not mean the MNOs will immediately be able to roll out 5G services nationwide.

With DNB expecting to reach 37.9% 5G population coverage by the end of 2022, compared to the initial target of 40%, most areas in Malaysia do not have access to 5G infrastructure yet.

Currently, 5G access is available in the Klang Valley, Johor, Melaka, Negri Sembilan, Perak, Penang and Kelantan.

YES was the first MNO in Malaysia to roll out 5G services from Dec 15, 2021.

This was followed by TM, which is rolling out 5G services effective yesterday via unifi Mobile.

Meanwhile, Axiata’s Celcom and U Mobile announced that their 5G services will be commercially available to customers from Nov 1 and Nov 3, respectively.

As for Digi, the commercial roll-out date is not known yet.

In a stock exchange filing yesterday, TM said the provisioning of 5G services would enhance TM’s position as the preferred partner in accelerating the adoption of fixed-mobile convergence via 5G and fixed broadband solutions.

The telco has about 2.9 million fixed broadband subscribers as of the first half of 2022.

U Mobile chief executive officer Wong Heang Tuck said in a statement that the company is supportive of the government’s vision of a SWN model for 5G deployment, whereby all operators will have access to the same network without differentiation in terms of speed and quality.

“Hence, we are delighted to have signed the 5G access agreement and be part of this network.

“We have full faith that DNB will honour the mandate of providing quality 5G coverage and capacity on an equitable and non-discriminatory basis,” he said.

U Mobile has launched a line of 5G-ready postpaid plans, namely U Postpaid 38, U Postpaid 68 and U Postpaid 98.

Axiata told Bursa Malaysia yesterday that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Celcom Networks Sdn Bhd, has entered into an access agreement with DNB to allow Celcom wholesale access to DNB’s 5G network.

“Under the agreement, there is no charge to be incurred in 2022.

“The DNB Reference Access Offer (RAO) published on the DNB website sets out the salient terms and conditions subject to which network facilities and network services will be provided by DNB to Celcom.

“The RAO may be updated or replaced from time to time in which case the agreement will be governed by and incorporate the terms and conditions of the RAO published on the DNB website,” it said in a filing.

Meanwhile, Digi said its unit, Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd (DigiTel), has on Oct 30 executed an access agreement with DNB.

Via the agreement, DigiTel will also have the option to purchase future 5G wholesale services to be rolled out by DNB, to develop innovative 5G enterprise and value-added services to serve customer needs.

“The board, having considered the access agreement, is of the opinion that the access agreement is in the best interest of the company,” it said. 

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BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS)

 

China successfully sends final satellite of BeiDou system into space, completes China's GPS Network

https://youtu.be/RFyJy6bUjkI

China launches last piece of BeiDou Navigation Satellite system into orbit

China’s final BeiDou-3 satellite for its global navigation system was launched on June 23, 2020, at 9.43am, from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in the southwest province of Sichuan. A Long March 3B rocket carried the satellite into geostationary orbit, completing the third-generation network for the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS). BDS is the fourth major global satellite navigation system, following GPS built by the US, Russia's Glosnass and the European Union's Galileo.

"Ten, nine, eight…three, two, one. Launch," the calm voice of 01 Commander Yin Xiangyuan in the valley of Liangshan mountain in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, was soon overwhelmed by the thunderous boom of the rocket taking off on Tuesday.

Carrying the last satellite of China's domestically developed BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, or BDS, the Long March-3B launch vehicle blasted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on Tuesday morning.

And after a flight of around 30 minutes, the spacecraft, the third geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellite and 30th of the third-generation series of the BeiDou system, or BDS-3, successfully entered its planned orbit, marking the completion of the global geolocation network, which is also China's largest space-based system and one of the four global navigation networks, along with the US' GPS, Russia's GLONASS and the European Galileo.

The launch of the final satellite of China's indigenous BeiDou system had been previously scheduled on June 16, but was delayed after technical problems were found with the Long March-3B rocket in pre-launch tests.

Space launches have always been full of challenges and sometimes faced with high risks of failure. The postponement of the final BeiDou launch and resumption after resolving the problems once again demonstrated that Chinese space scientists uphold the scientific spirit, allowing zero errors at any stage of the mission, insiders said.

Photo: Hu Xujie

World-class performance

The latest GEO satellite is the 55th BDS system, and will work with other members of the network, allowing global users to access high-accuracy navigation, positioning and timing as well as communication services.

Compared to previous generation series, the constellation of BDS-3 with an array of 30 satellites flying on three different orbit planes - three at the GEO, three at the inclined geosynchronous orbits, and 24 at the medium Earth orbit, have higher bandwidth, enabling enhanced communication capability and carrying more accurate and stable atomic clocks to improve the precision of timing and navigation services, according to the project contractor China Academy of Space Technology under the state owned space giant China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).

The BDS-3 also possesses better messaging capability, increasing its unique short message service capacity from 120 Chinese characters to 1,200 per message, and the higher communication bandwidth also expands the user capacity from 500,000 to 5 million users.

BDS-3 is also capable of providing precise point positioning service (PPP) with a decimeter-level dynamic accuracy and centimeter-level static accuracy, meaning it can support applications such as auto-pilot for vehicles and precision docking of ships.

Yang Changfeng, the chief architect of the BDS, told the Global Times on Monday that China's BDS is compatible with the US' GPS, Russia's GLONASS and Europe's Galileo, and users worldwide can freely choose any four satellites with the best signals from the global navigation satellite systems with over 100 satellites.

According to the chief architect, the BDS has satellites on three orbit planes in the Asia-Pacific region, which makes it more capable of resisting disturbances from occlusion even in such environments with multi-layer surfaces in the urban areas as well as in forests.

Users in low latitude areas in the Asia-Pacific region can enjoy non-stop navigation services from the BDS in these circumstances, and the accuracy of the BDS service is just as good as that of the US' GPS, and of world-class quality globally, Yang noted.

According to the China Satellite Navigation Office on Tuesday, the majority of the world have started using the BDS.

Photo: Hu Xujie

Hardwork of generations

China began research and development into the country's indigenous satellite system in 1994, aiming to reduce its reliance on foreign networks, especially under the complicated external environment.

The first BeiDou satellite entered orbit in 2,000, and started providing positioning, navigation, timing and messaging services to domestic users in China and users in the Asia-Pacific region in December 2012.

The BDS system started providing global services at the end of 2018, when construction of the BDS-3 primary system had been completed.

BeiDou has been supporting dozens of businesses and public sectors in China, ranging from transportation and agriculture to electric power transmission and fisheries, and tens of millions of BeiDou-enabled terminal devices have been sold and are in use.

In the field of transportation, BDS has been widely used in the monitoring and management of priority transportation, highway infrastructure safety, port scheduling, and real-time high-precision positioning.

By the end of 2019, more than 6.5 million road operating vehicles, 40,000 postal and express delivery vehicles, 80,000 buses in 36 central cities, 3,200 inland navigation facilities, and 2,900 marine navigation facilities have adopted BDS, forming the world's largest dynamic monitoring system for road operating vehicles.

More than 70,000 fisheries and law-enforcement vessels have installed BeiDou terminals and more than 10,000 people have been rescued thanks to the BeiDou application.

Time reference for public security networks has been synchronized based on the BDS timing services. BDS has played an important role in ensuring security at major events, such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Meeting and the G20 Summit.

In the field of smart phones, mainstream chip manufacturers both at home and abroad have introduced integrated chips that are compatible with BDS. By the third quarter of 2019, more than 400 smartphone models sold in China supported positioning functions, of which about 300 models supported BDS.

The scale of navigation satellite positioning and navigation industry in China has reached 345 billion yuan ($48.6 billion) by 2019, up 14.4 percent from the previous year, according to an annual industry report.

Cao Chong, a Beijing-based senior expert on satellite navigation industry, told the Global Times the industry scale is expected to exceed 400 billion by the end of 2020.

Cao said the next step to further promote the BDS system in market both at home and abroad lies in the research and development of terminal capabilities, which should keep up with the enhanced power of BDS-3. "There are huge market potentials to be released."

The Tuesday mission marked the 44th BeiDou satellite-launching flight for the Long March-3A rocket series since October 31, 2000, which the Long March-3B rocket belongs to. The rockets have sent 59 BeiDou satellites, including four experimental ones, into orbit, with a 100 percent success rate.

As the BDS system continues to develop, the Long March-3A rocket series have also started to use three-mode receptors which are compatible with the BDS, GPS and GLONASS networks, Jiang Jie, chief engineer of the rocket series, with the China Academy of Launch Vehicle, also under the CASC, told the Global Times.

As the three modes all complement each other, they work together to improve the orbiting accuracy of rockets and reduce consumption of propellants, Jiang noted.

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 APA model of the BeiDou Navigation System is displayed during the 12th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai earlier this month

China's largest carrier rocket Long March-5 makes new flight; BDS-3 satellite system (GPS) to complete before June 2020, Space Station operational in 2022

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China to complete Beidou-3 satellite system BDS (GPS) before June 2020

 BDS, the Beidou Navigation Satellite System from China

 

China's homegrown BeiDou Navigation Satellite System is going global

https://youtu.be/yPAiR71rIxs

BeiDou, China’s homegrown navigation satellite system, is to cover the world by 2020. Watch a video to see how it differs from GPS and can help you in life. - China Daily

How Smart is China's answer to GPS?

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China's largest carrier rocket Long March-5 makes new flight; BDS-3 satellite system (GPS) to complete before June 2020, Space Station operational in 2022

https://youtu.be/BEx6oQhx6Sc

VideoFromSpace 838K subscribers A Chinese Long March 5 Y3 rocket launched from Wenchang Satellite Launch Cente in south China on Dec. 27, 2019. It was carrying the Shijian-20 communications satellite. --Full Story: https://www.space.com/china-long-marc... Credit: China Central Television - CCTV

The Long March 5 is an essential booster for China's space ambitions. The heavy-lift booster will be the one to launch China's space station modules as well as a  Mars lander in 2020 and the Chang'e 5 moon sample-return mission.

China is also expected to use a version of the Long March 5, called the Long March 5B, to launch  a new crewed spacecraf — the successor to its current Shenzhou crew capsule.

The rocket stands 184 feet (56 meters) tall and weighs nearly 2 million lbs. (867,000 kilograms) at liftoff. It is capable of carrying payloads of up to 55,000 lbs. (25,000 kilograms) into low Earth orbit. It can haul up 31,000 lbs. (14,000 kg) to a higher geostationary transfer orbit.
https://www.space.com/china-long-march-5-rocket-2019-launch-success.html

Long March-5 milestone signals new era for Chinese space exploration

China's Long March-5 carrier rocket was successfully launched at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in South China's Hainan Province on Friday. Standing at an impressive 57 meters tall and with a diameter of 5 meters, the rocket will send a test satellite into planned orbit. The endeavor marks a significant leap forward since the carrier rocket's maiden mission in 2016 and through a failed attempt in 2017.

China launches its largest carrier rocket Long March-5 Y3

https://youtu.be/Lc-RfXjERqg

The Long March-5 rocket, China's largest carrier rocket, was successfully launched from Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China's Hainan Province on Friday night.

The rocket lifted off at 8:45 p.m. Beijing time, carrying the Shijian-20 technological experiment satellite weighing over eight tonnes, the heaviest and most advanced communications satellite in the country.

About 2,220 seconds later, the satellite was sent into its planned orbit and the launch mission was declared a success.

Long March-5 Y3 launches Shijian-20

https://youtu.be/M_Vu60EavR8

China's largest carrier rocket Long March-5 makes new flight

China launched the third Long March-5, the largest carrier rocket of the country, from Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China's Hainan Province on Friday evening.

The rocket, coded as Long March-5 Y3, blasted off from the coastal launch center at 8:45 p.m. (Beijing time), carrying the Shijian-20 technological experiment satellite weighing over eight tonnes, the heaviest and most advanced communications satellite of the country.

About 2,220 seconds later, the satellite was sent into its planned orbit.

Wu Yanhua, deputy director of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), declared the launch a success.

The success of the flight lays the foundation for a series of future space projects for the country including exploring Mars, returning moon samples and constructing its own space station, Wu said.

The Shijian-20 satellite will be used to test the key technologies of the DFH-5 platform, China's new-generation large satellite platform, and offer communication and broadcasting service, Wu said.

The Long March-5 is a large, two-stage rocket, capable of carrying a payload of 25 tonnes, equivalent to the weight of 16 cars, to low Earth orbit, 14 tonnes to geostationary transfer orbit, eight tonnes to Earth-Moon transfer orbit, or five tonnes to Earth-Mars transfer orbit, over twice the capacity of the current main Long March series rockets. Combined with an upper stage, the rocket is capable of sending probes to explore Jupiter and other planets in the solar system, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).

The Long March-5 made its maiden flight on Nov. 3, 2016 from Wenchang. However, the second large rocket, Long March-5 Y2, suffered a failure, as a malfunction happened less than six minutes after its liftoff on July 2, 2017.

The research team has found that the failure was caused by a problem in the engine of the first core stage of the rocket. "We have made improvements to the design, materials and technologies of the engine," said Li Dong, chief designer of the Long March-5 rocket from the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) under the CASC.

Compared with the Long March-5 Y2, the new rocket has more than 200 technological improvements, said Yang Hujun, deputy chief designer of the rocket.

The modified engine has undergone more than 10 ground tests lasting over 3,000 seconds in total.

"Over the past two years, the research team has solved the problem of the engine and improved the reliability of the rocket," said Wang Jue, chief commander of the research team.

The carrying capacity of the Long March-5 rocket equals that of other mainstream large-scale rockets in the global industry, greatly improving China's ability to launch spacecraft and laying the foundation for developing new-generation carrier rockets and heavy-lift launch vehicles, said Wang Xiaojun, head of the CALT.

The rocket is about 57 meters long, equivalent to the height of a 20-story building, with a 5-meter diameter core stage and four 3.35-meter diameter boosters. The Long March-5 is much larger than China's previous carrier rockets. It has a takeoff weight of about 870 tonnes and a thrust of over 1,000 tonnes.

The four boosters, developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology under the CASC, shoulder over 90 percent of the takeoff thrust.

The rocket uses environmentally friendly fuel, including kerosene, liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, rather than highly toxic propellants.

It is equipped with eight liquid oxygen/kerosene rocket engines in four strap-on boosters, two liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen engines in the first stage and two relatively small liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen engines in the second stage.

The weight of the rocket itself only accounts for about 10 percent of the liftoff weight, and the other 90 percent is the weight of the propellants.

The research team has made efforts to decrease the weight of the rocket in its design. For instance, the thickness of the rocket shell in some parts is only a few millimeters, according to Li Linsheng, a structural strength analysis designer of the rocket.

The temperature of liquid hydrogen is minus 253 degrees centigrade, and the temperature of liquid oxygen is minus 173 degrees centigrade. The maximum temperature of the fuel during combustion in the rocket engine is more than 3,300 degrees centigrade.

China built the Wenchang Space Launch Center, the country's fourth space launch center, for the Long March-5 and other new-generation carrier rockets. The center is located on the coast of the tropical island province of Hainan, which avoids possible damage caused by the falling rocket remnants.

In the center is the country's largest and most advanced launch pad that is 70 meters tall, equivalent to the height of a 24-story building, and covers an area of 600 square meters, the same size as half a basketball court.

China to complete Beidou-3 satellite system BDS (GPS) before June 2020

China exports Beidou system products to over 120 countries, regions

China exports Beidou system products to over 120 countries, regions

China's GPS rival BeiDou to go global by June 2020

China's BeiDou-3 system, a global geolocation network, is expected to be completed by June 2020, providing global users with high-quality services including navigation, positioning and data communication.

 China's BeiDou navigation system starts global ..

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20191227 国新办新闻发布会| CCTV LIVE

https://youtu.be/wBrUngeIzT0

BeiDou Navigation Satellite System serves the world

https://youtu.be/EyIQaszZPIo

In this episode of "Come Together," CGTN looks at the self-developed BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) that went global in 2018 and represents another scientific breakthrough for China as the country celebrates the 70th anniversary of its founding. Subscribe to us on YouTube: https://goo.gl/lP12gA Download our APP on Apple Store (iOS): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cctvn... Download our APP on Google Play (Android): https://play.google.com/store/apps/de...

China's homegrown BeiDou Navigation Satellite System is going global

https://youtu.be/yPAiR71rIxs

BeiDou, China’s homegrown navigation satellite system, is to cover the world by 2020. Watch a video to see how it differs from GPS and can help you in life. - China Daily

How Smart is China's answer to GPS?

https://youtu.be/MSJxbbLMyZU

China recently launched another part of the Beidou Satellite System and we wanted to take a look at some of the ways China will use this system. We look at some of the important aspects of this project and how it will benefit Chinese people and everyone around the globe.

China will finish the construction of the BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3), with another two geostationary orbit satellites to be launched before June 2020, said BDS Spokesperson Ran Chengqi on Friday.

Friday marks the one-year anniversary of China's BDS-3 system providing global service.

Ran said at a press conference of the State Council Information Office that with the BDS as the core, a more ubiquitous, integrated and intelligent navigation and timing system with comprehensive national positioning is scheduled to be established by 2035.

China sent 10 BDS satellites into space in 2019. The deployment of the core BDS-3 constellation system has been completed with all of the BDS-3 system's medium earth orbit satellites being networked.

With the system's upgraded intelligent operation and maintenance capabilities, the BDS-3 has provided stable and accurate services, boasting a positioning accuracy of better than five meters.

The BDS system has multiple service capabilities, including satellite-based augmentation, short message communication, ground augmentation as well as international search and rescue. It will provide more diversified services with better performance and higher accuracy in 2020, Ran said.

A series of documents on the BDS system were also released to promote the understanding of the system and facilitate its use. The documents were published on the official website of the Beidou Navigation Satellite System.

The BDS system has seen thriving applications in many areas and has fostered an industrial ecosystem, Ran said.

The 22nm process navigation and positioning chip supporting BDS-3's new signal has a smaller volume, lower power consumption and higher accuracy, and has realized large-scale application.

The new generation of BDS system-related products including high-precision antennas, boards, and broadband radio frequency chips has been developed.

The BDS system has also seen increasing applications in emerging fields such as the industrial Internet and Internet of Things, as well as autonomous driving, parking and logistics.

With the arrival of the 5G commercial era, BDS is accelerating the integration with new technologies such as the next generation of mobile communication, blockchain and artificial intelligence, Ran said.

The BDS system is playing an important role in many industries including transportation, agriculture, forestry and energy. It supports China's dynamic monitoring system for more than 6.5 million vehicles. It will further facilitate railway transportation, inland river shipping, ocean navigation and the management of transportation infrastructure construction, Ran said.

Ran said China is continuously promoting the development of a legal system for satellite navigation.

China's applications for satellite navigation patents have increased rapidly, and the number has reached 70,000, ranking the first in the world.

More BDS-related national standards and special standards will be released to ensure a sound environment for its industrial application, Ran added. - Xinhua

China plans to complete space station construction around 2022: expert

 Why China can build its own space station?

https://youtu.be/FMvYUYFRFk4

China Aerospace started from scratch, and by 2019, the country is ushering in a phase of superspace programs: the Chang’e-4 lunar probe was successfully launched, the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System began providing global services and the Long March rockets have been launched over 300 times. The emergence of each set of data proves that China, once trailing behind in the global space programs, has now earned its place in the global space-program competition, and is tapping into a new field. Check out this video and have a look at why China can build its own space station.

See China’s Tiangong-2 Space Station Re-Enter Earth’s Atmosphere

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China’s Tiangong-2 Space Station re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and burned up over the Pacific Ocean on July 19, 2019. A camera aboard Tiangong-2 captured imagery

Lift-off soon for China’s space station mission

https://youtu.be/qoqA3fcFPQM

China has announced the imminent launch of a mission that will start the process of building a space station by 2022. Making the announcement on February 4, 2019, Chinese space programme officials said astronauts are currently being recruited and trained, with drills and joint tests scheduled for the latter half of 2019. The space station will consist of three modules – a core cabin and two lab modules – and will be able to accommodate three astronauts working simultaneously. China is a relative latecomer to such space programmes since it was not a partner in the International Space Station (ISS), the habitable artificial satellite which was launched into orbit in 1998 and supporting its first long-term residents by November 2000. China has been opening up to international cooperation, however, agreeing with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs to develop opportunities for scientists from around the world to carry out research on board the Chinese space station after it is operational in 2022.

China's space station: What you need to know

https://youtu.be/LINmR4wF6Xg

BDS, the Beidou Navigation Satellite System from China

China launches 23rd BeiDou satellite into space - CCTV News - CCTV.com English  http://t.cn/R5SsGFc

China eyes Silk Road countries for its Beidou satellite system

18 satellites to launch for BDS by 2018

China on Thursday vowed national efforts to complete its Beidou satellite navigation system to serve global users by 2020, with priority going to countries involved in the new Silk Road initiative.

The current goal of developing China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) is to "provide basic services to countries along the land and maritime Silk Roads and in neighboring regions by 2018, and to complete the constellation deployment of 35 satellites by 2020 to provide services to global users," said a white paper released Thursday by the State Council Information Office.

A "globalized" BDS would have "positive and practical significance" in terms of connectivity around the globe, especially the interconnection between China and Southeast Asian countries under the Silk Road plan, known as the Belt and Road initiative, Huang Jun, a professor at the School of Aeronautic Science and Engineering at Beihang University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

In line with the Belt and Road initiative, China will jointly build satellite navigation augmentation systems with relevant nations and promote international applications of navigation technologies, the white paper states.

To fulfill the 2018 goal, the country plans to launch some 18 satellites for the BDS by 2018, Ran Chengqi, BDS spokesperson, told a press conference on Thursday.

"In priority Chinese cities such as Beijing and Urumqi in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, as well as low latitude countries like Thailand, the BDS is capable of offering a positioning accuracy of better than five meters," said Ran, who is also director of China's Satellite Navigation System Management Office.

Since 2015, the country has sent up seven more satellites into space in support of the BDS, including five navigation satellites and two backup satellites, Ran added, citing Sunday's launch of the BDS' 23rd satellite - a backup satellite - as an example.

In 2020, the BDS might offer different positioning accuracy choices and could provide centimeter-level accuracy under certain requirements, said Lu Weijun, a BDS expert at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications.

Unique features

Despite being a late starter compared with the US-developed GPS, China's BDS has unique features, Huang said, citing the BDS short-message communication service as an example.

"The short-message communication service is mainly useful in places with insufficient ground and mobile communication capabilities, such as deserts, seas and disaster areas where communication facilities have been destroyed," Lu told the Global Times.

More than 40,000 fishing vessels along China's coastline have been equipped with the BDS application terminals, Ran said, adding that they also provided better communication for islands near the coastline.

The BDS short-message communication service is mainly handled by five Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellites, Lu said. Located above China, the five GEO satellites mainly serve a coverage area of Chinese territories and the Asia-Pacific region" and "could be used to locally enhance the signal in wartime, when other satellites might have been closed."

An independently designed global navigation and positioning network would also contribute to national security, Huang said. Industrial chain

China is developing chips, modules and other basic products based on the BDS and other compatible systems, and fostering an independent BDS industrial chain, the white paper noted.

"By the end of April, the BDS technology has been applied to more than 24 million terminals and over 18 million mobile phones," Ran said.

It is expected that by the end of this year, up to 50 million mobile phones will have been installed with domestic chips that will be compatible with three satellite navigation systems, namely the BDS, GPS and Russia's GLONASS, Wang Hansheng, vice president of Olink Star, a Beijing-based company that makes navigation satellite system products, told the Global Times.

By Ding Xuezhen Source:Global Times

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