China has successfully launched its third navigation satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in south-western Sichuan province, part of a project to establish its own global satellite navigation system. This is the third orbiter launched for the country's independent satellite navigation network known as Beidou, or Compass system.
The system aims at providing navigation, time signal, and short message services in the Asian and Pacific region starting in 2012. The open service will be cost free for the system's users in the service area and will deliver a resolution of 10 meters for positioning, with an accuracy of 10 nanoseconds for time signal and accuracy of 0.2 meter per second for speed measurement.
China hopes to form a network of a total of 35 satellites by 2020, efficient enough to provide global navigation service to users around the world. The main aim behind the launch is to have its own satellite navigation program to negate its dependence on the US-based GPS system.
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