spacetoday.net: China launches navigation satellite

Posted: Fri, Dec 2, 2011, 7:32 AM ET (1232 GMT)
Long MArch 3A launch of 10th Beidou satellite (PLA Daily)

A Long March rocket launched the latest in a series of navigation satellites on Friday, in the process breaking a record for launch activity. The Long March 3A rocket lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 4:07 pm EST Thursday (2107 GMT Thursday, 5:07 am Beijing time Friday), carrying a Beidou-2 inclined geosynchronous orbit (IGSO) satellite. The satellite is the 10th in a series of satellites called Compass that is designed to provide navigation services for China and surrounding regions. China plans to expand the Compass system to provide global navigation services, like the US GPS and Russian GLONASS systems, by 2020. The launch was the 16th successful orbital launch by China this year, a new record for China. One orbital launch attempt failed.