China initiates country's first centimeter-level positioning system

China has launched its first centimeter-level positioning system, which can significantly improve the accuracy of its domestic navigation satellite system.

Kuilong, the new positioning system, is a crucial part of the country’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS). By calculating and analyzing data received from over 300 satellite navigation stations worldwide, the system can precisely calibrate orbit and clock errors, which are the main factors disrupting positional accuracy, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) on Nov. 1.

CASC explained that the revised data will be sent to the satellite navigation terminal via five geosynchronous satellites and over 60 low-Earth orbit communication satellites, improving data accuracy to the centimeter level. The system will provide four data signals, respectively offering sub-meter, sub-decimeter, centimeter and aviation security-level services.

Formally launched in 1994, the BDS project is considered one of the world’s leading positioning systems, along with the Russian GLONASS system, European Galileo system and American Global Positioning System.

Currently, the new system is providing services to the Asia-Pacific region free of charge, covering the area between the latitudes of 55 degrees north and 55 degrees south, and the longitudes of 55 and 180 degrees east. Positioning accuracy is less than 10 meters, velocity accuracy is less than 0.2 meters per second, and timing accuracy is less than 50 nanoseconds, the Xinhua News Agency reported.