China will launch 11 more BeiDou-3 satellites by the end of 2018, according to Xinhua News Agency, the official state-run press agency.
China has already launched eight BeiDou-3 satellites for its domestic BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS). The satellites will provide initial services for countries and regions along the Belt and Road by the end of the year, said Wang Li, chairman of the China Satellite Navigation System Committee.
Addressing the Ninth China Satellite Navigation Conference in Harbin, capital of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, Wang said the BeiDou system is moving to become a global service provider after offering stable and reliable time and space information for clients in the Asia-Pacific region.
China launched the first two BeiDou-3 satellites into space via a single carrier rocket in November 2017, as its self-developed BeiDou system officially began to expand into a global network.
Compared to earlier generation satellites, the BeiDou-3 is able to send signals that are more compatible with other satellite navigation systems and provide satellite-based augmentation (SBAS), as well as search-and-rescue (SAR) services in accordance with international standards. Its positioning accuracy has reached 2.5 to 5 meters.
