China launches global positioning satellite: report

[The Spindoctors]

BEIJING, April 15, 2009 (AFP) -

China launched a navigational satellite Wednesday, the nation's space administration reported, the second in a series of up to 30 orbiters to comprise a global positioning network.

The launch of the COMPASS satellite took place just after midnight from the Xichang Satellite Launching Centre in southwest Sichuan province, the China National Space Administration said on its website.

The satellite is one of up to 30 that China will put in orbit by 2015 to form the Beidou Navigation System, a global positioning system (GPS) completely developed by Chinese technology, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The system can help clients know their location at any time and place with accurate longitude, latitude and altitude data, and will offer 'safer' positioning, velocity, timing communications for authorised users," it said.

The system will provide services for transportation, meteorology, petroleum prospecting, disaster forecasting, telecommunications and public security, it added.

The system is expected to rival the US-developed GPS, the European Union's Galileo Positioning System and Russia's Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS).

The first COMPASS satellite was launched in April 2007, Xinhua said, after four other experimental COMPASS satellites were placed in orbit earlier this century.

Previous press reports said that China would launch 10 such navigational satellites in 2009 and 2010.

[Dooghan]

I remember reading a while back China was going to do this. Now we just need a GPSr that can use all the different systems at the same time.

Dooghan

[If]

Am I the only one who thinks that trusting a Chinese navigation system no doubt copied from the Yanks or Russians is a good idea ?
They cannot even produce a cheap DVD player that works
I for one would like to see a handheld GPS using the other 3 systems, but would fear that the addition of the COMPASS system would be like adding selective availability again

[Map Monkey]

They might just work well with those Chinese GPSr's in the market today.....glad i own a Garmin instead. <checks where my GPSr is made>

Next thing, North Korea will be having their own system launched into space....."only for DGPS purposes Mr UN."

mm

[Richary]

I for one would like to see a handheld GPS using the other 3 systems, but would fear that the addition of the COMPASS system would be like adding selective availability again

<p>I remember reading the European one was supposed to be compatible with the US system but yes, I guess if the satellites aren't exactly in sync it would cause problems. Though reading this article (which is quite good)<p>http://features.csmonitor.com/innovatio ... r/<p>shows the European system to be on a slightly different frequency than the USA but China will be the same as Europe.<p>Out of interest did anyone ever try one of the Russian Glonass systems? Though I see that wasn't specced for greater than 50 metre horizontal accuracy.<p>The wikipedia article on the US system is quite interesting as well for those who want to know how it works.<p>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Positioning_System