Beijing, June 3 (IANS) China has launched a new satellite into earth’s orbit, adding to its indigenous network of space navigation system, officials said Thursday.
The geostationary orbiter, launched from the Long March 3III carrier rocket Wednesday, will join the three existing satellites in the space to form a network that will eventually consist of 35 satellites, the ministry of industry and information technology said.
The system called Beidou or Compass will start providing navigation and short message services in Asia and Pacific region from 2012. It will be capable of providing global navigation services by 2020, according to Xinhua.
