Posted: Sun, Jan 17, 2010, 10:46 AM ET (1546 GMT)
China performed the first orbital launch of 2010 early Sunday by placing a navigation satellite into orbit. The Long March 3C lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 11:12 am EST Saturday (1612 GMT Saturday, 12:12 am Sunday Beijing time) and placed the third Beidou satellite, also called Compass-G1, into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. The satellites will join two others as part of the initial stage of an effort to develop a global satellite navigation system similar to America's GPS system. China hopes to have a regional system in place providing navigation services to the Asia-Pacific region by 2012, and eventually place 35 satellites in orbit to provide global coverage.
