In an effort to end Western monopoly, China has started building its own Global Satellite Navigation System, ‘Compass’, which will also cover parts of neighbouring countries, the state media reported today.

The planned network, also referred to as Beidou Navigation System, entails the launch of five geostationary and 30 mobile satellites.

China plans to launch two Compass navigation satellites at the beginning of next year. The system, which will provide highly accurate positioning and time references, will cover China and parts of neighbouring countries by 2008 before being developed into a global network, Xinhua news agency reported.

The system will provide two navigation services. The Open Services is designed to provide users with positioning accuracy within 10 meters, velocity accuracy with 0.2 metre per second and timing accuracy within 50 nanoseconds.

The Authorised System will offer “safer” positioning, velocity, timing communications for authorised users.

China is willing to cooperate with other countries in developing its satellite navigation industry to allow the Compass system to operate with other global satellite positioning systems, the report said.

China has already joined the European Union (EU) and the European Space Agency’s 3.5 billion-euro Galileo Project to develop a satellite-navigation system independent of the US military global positioning system (GPS) monopoly.
[hindu.news]