The carrier rocket Long March 3-A blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province April 14,2007. China successfully launched a navigation satellite aboard Long March 3-A early Saturday. (Xinhua Photo/Li Gang) Photo Gallery>>>
XI'AN, April 16 (Xinhua) -- China has put a new
"Compass" navigation satellite into use after technicians completed the third
position fixing on Monday, according to China's satellite control center.
The satellite, launched on early Saturday, is part of
the country's ambitious "Compass" navigational system, which is expected to
provide services to customers all over China and neighboring countries by 2008.
It will be expanded to become a global navigation and positioning network.
The Xi'an Satellite Control Center reported that it
adjusted the satellite's position via remote control system for the last time on
Monday, sending the satellite into the exact orbit.
It said the onboard equipments are functioning well.
The "Compass" navigational system is mainly designed
for the country's economic development, providing navigation and positioning
services in transportation, meteorology, petroleum prospecting, forest fire
monitoring, disaster forecast, telecommunications and public security, among
others.
The system includes at least 35 satellites, namely
five geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) and 30 medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites,
according to previous reports.
On February 3, China successfully put a test
"Compass" satellite into orbit, the fourth of such experimental satellites
launched since 2000.
Experts said the "Compass" navigation experimental
system is operating well and has played a significant role in providing
all-weather and all-day navigation and positioning information.
China is one of a few countries in the world that are
capable of developing navigation satellite system on its own. Previous reports
said the "Compass" system will provide clients with positioning accuracy within
10 meters, velocity accuracy with 0.2 meter per second and timing accuracy
within 50 nanoseconds.
Related:
The carrier rocket Long March 3-A blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province April 14,2007. China successfully launched a navigation satellite aboard Long March 3-A early Saturday. (Xinhua Photo/Li Gang) Photo Gallery>>>
XICHANG, Sichuan Province, April 14 (Xinhua) -- China on early Saturday morning launched a navigation satellite, part of the country's "Compass" navigational system, which is expected to provide services to customers all over China and neighboring countries by 2008.
The carrier rocket, Long March 3-A, blasted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province at 4:11 a.m., and sources with the center said that the satellite had "accurately" entered its orbit, at the height of 21,500 km. Full Story
TAIYUAN, April 11 (Xinhua) -- China successfully launched its second oceanic survey satellite "Haiyang-1B" (Ocean 1B) from Taiyuan Satellite Launching Center on Wednesday.
The China-made satellite was launched at 11:27 a.m. and reached the target orbit aboard a Long March-2C carrier rocket, China's most senior ocean research official said. Full story
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