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China’s own version of GPS is coming

Basic deployment of BeiDou system completes with latest satellite launch

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Render of a BeiDou-3 satellite. (Picture: CCTV)
This article originally appeared on ABACUS

In the decades since the US military first opened its satellite navigation system for civilian use, GPS has turned into an essential part of our daily lives -- from allowing aircraft to track their positions to providing map directions on our smartphones.

Now China says a rival system will soon be ready for use.

On Monday, the Chinese government said it successfully launched two satellites into orbit -- the 42nd and 43rd of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, or BDS. According to state news agency Xinhua, that means the constellation is basically complete. Service will begin for countries participating in China’s Belt and Road development project by the end of this year.
Render of a BeiDou-3 satellite. (Picture: CCTV)
Render of a BeiDou-3 satellite. (Picture: CCTV)

It’s not the only satellite location service from outside the US. Europe has Galileo, and Russia has GLONASS.

The first stage of the BeiDou system, which means the Big Dipper in Chinese, was completed in 2000. But earlier versions offered coverage for China and Asia only.

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