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China's 2nd navigation satellite, so far so good

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-04-22 16:35

XI'AN -- China's second navigation satellite, launched a week ago, has been functioning normally since it was put into the working orbit Monday, the Xi'an Satellite Control Center reported Wednesday.

The center completed the fourth position adjustment of the satellite on Monday via remote control system, and data showed that it is now correctly positioned.

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The onboard equipment is functioning properly, the center reported.

The satellite is part of an ambitious satellite navigation system, code named "COMPASS," China is building independent of foreign technology.

Compass would cover all of China and its adjacent regions by the end of 2010 or early 2011, and it would expand into a global network by 2020, Cao Chong, chief engineer of the China Electronics Technology Group Corp., told Xinhua last week.

Cao said China would launch another 10 satellites within the next two years. The 12-satellite system could cover China and neighboring regions for the first phase of the Compass program.

China launched the first "Compass" navigation satellite into geostationary orbit in April 2007. Before then it had successfully put four experimental navigation satellites into orbit, forming the Beidou ("Big Dipper") system, which can provide positioning accuracy within 20m.

The Compass system is expected to rival the United States' Global Positioning System (GPS), the Galileo Positioning System of Europe and Russia's Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS).