The final satellite to complete the third-generation network of China's Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) has flown into its geostationary orbit about 36,000 kilometers above the Earth on June 30 after an eight-day journey.
The Chinese system thus began its service to the whole world.
Consisting of 30 satellites, the BDS-3 system can provide full services to the world, with its positioning error limited to 5-10 meters. Its speed-measuring can be as accurate as 0.2 meters/second, with a timing accuracy of 10 nanoseconds.
Different from its peers in the world, the BDS system is the only one that runs along the 36,000-km geostationary orbit, the 36,000-km geosynchronous orbit and the 20,000-km medium orbit.
The Beidou system can also send messages, with its 𦽳hort messaging system" used in emergencies and operations offshore or in the field.
New as it is, the BDS system has allowed 137 countries to sign cooperative agreements with China.
The BDS system has served in the following areas: land right in Indonesia, construction in Kuwait, mapping in Uganda, farming in Myanmar, offshore piling in Maldives, logistics in Thailand, timing for Pakistani airports, and power supply in Russia.
How can China's BDS system serve the ASEAN countries?
