A Long March-3B carrier rocket carrying a new-generation Beidou satellite lifts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Xichang, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 30, 2015. China sent a new-generation satellite into orbit that will support its global navigation and positioning network at 7:13 a.m. Beijing Time Wednesday (2313 GMT Tuesday). It was the 20th satellite for the Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS).(Photo: Xinhua/Li Xiang)
Beidou system extends its reach to global users
A new-generation satellite of China's Beidou Navigation Satellite System was launched in March, enabling the Beidou system to expand its coverage out of the Asia-Pacific area.
The Beidou system, named after the Chinese term for the Big Dipper constellation, is a domestic alternative to the United States-operated GPS. The first Beidou satellite was launched in 2000. By 2012, a regional network of the Beidou system had taken shape, providing positioning, navigation, timing and short-messaging services in China and several other Asian countries.
