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BeiDou General Introduction
| COMPASS | |
|---|---|
| Title | BeiDou General Introduction |
| Author(s) | GMV. |
| Level | Basic |
| Year of Publication | 2011 |
The Compass Navigation Satellite System (CNSS), or BeiDou-2, is China’s second-generation satellite navigation system capable of providing continuous, real-time passive 3D geo-spatial positioning and speed measurement. The system will initially used to provide high-accuracy positioning services for users in China and its neighbouring regions, covering an area of about 120 degrees longitude in the Northern Hemisphere. The long-term goal is to develop an independent global navigation satellite network similar to the GPS and GLONASS. [1]
Introduction
According to the China National Space Administration, the development of the Chinese global navigation system should be carried out in three steps:
- 2000 - 2003: experimental BeiDou navigation system consisting of 3 satellites;
- by 2012: regional BeiDou navigation system covering China and neighboring regions;
- by 2020: global BeiDou navigation system, or Compass Navigation system.
The first two satellites, BeiDou-1A was launched on 30 October 2000, BeiDou-1B followed on 20 December 2000. The third satellite BeiDou-1C (as backup satellite), was put into orbit on 25 May 2003. The successful launch of BeiDou-1C also meant the establishment of the BeiDou-1 navigation system. On November 2, 2006, China announced that from 2008 BeiDou would offer an open service with an accuracy of 10 meters, timing of 0.2 nanoseconds, speed of 0.2 meter/second. It followed that in February 2007, the fourth and also the last satellite of BeiDou-1 system, the BeiDou-1D (sometimes called BeiDou-2A, serving as a backup satellite), was sent up into space.
In April 2007, the first satellite of BeiDou-2, namely Compass-M1 (to validate frequencies for the COMPASS constellation) was successfully put into its working orbit. The second BeiDou-2 constellation satellite Compass-G2 was launched on 15 April 2009. The third satellite (Compass-G1) was carried into its orbit by Long March 3C (LM-3C) carrier rocket on January 17, 2010. On the 2nd of June 2010, the fourth satellite, Compass-G3, was launched successfully into orbit. The fifth orbiter, COMPASS-IGSO1, was launched into space by LM-3I carrier rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center on August 1, 2010. Three months later, on November 1, 2010, the sixth satellite,Compass-G4, was sent into orbit by LM-3C. Another IGSO navigation satellite, COMPASS-IGSO2, has been launched on December 18, 2010.[2][3]
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