Major scientific and technological achievements in 2017

9. Satellite navigation system upgraded

Two third-generation Beidou satellites were launched on Nov 5, at Xichang Satellite Launch Center. This is the first step of establishing a vast positioning and navigation network with global coverage.

Beidou is the fourth navigation satellite system in the world, following the United States' GPS system, Russia's GLONASS and the European Union's Galileo. Beidou has brought huge economic and social benefit in the areas of transportation, fishery, hydrologic monitoring, weather forecast, geodetic survey, intelligent driving tests, mobile phone navigation, vehicle navigation and more.