Beidou satellite launches planned this year as rollout nearly complete

China will send 8 to 10 more satellites for the Beidou Navigation Satellite System into space this year, as it nears the completion of launching all the medium-earth-orbit satellites, the China Satellite Navigation Office said on Tuesday.

The Beidou Navigation Satellite System started providing global services at the end of last year. Positioning accuracy has been improved to 10 meters globally, and five meters in the Asian-Pacific region. The system is being used by domestic industries such as agriculture, transportation, and public security.

The Beidou Navigation Satellite System, which was independently designed and developed by China, provides all-weather, high-accuracy navigation and timing services to users around the world. The full rollout of global Beidou services is expected to be completed next year.

The Beidou system is increasingly being used overseas, with high-accuracy receivers exported to more than 90 countries. And the second China-Arab States Beidou Cooperation Forum, due to be held in Tunisia at the start of April, will deepen cooperation between China and the Arab states in the use of the Beidou system in the Middle East.