BEIJING — China on Friday sent twin satellites into space with a singlecarrier rocket, adding two more members for its domestic BeiDou NavigationSatellite System (BDS), Xinhua has reported.
The Long March-3B carrier rocket lifted off from Xichang Satellite LaunchCenter in southwest China’s Sichuan Province at 1:56 a.m. The launch wasthe 269th mission for the Long March rocket family.
The twin satellites are coded as the 30th and 31st satellites in the BDS.
They entered orbit more than three hours after the launch and will worktogether with six previously launched BeiDou-3 satellites once they pass aseries of tests.
The satellites and the rocket for Friday’s launch were developed by theInnovation Academy for Microsatellites at the Chinese Academy of Sciencesand China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, respectively.
Named after the Chinese term for the Big Dipper, the BeiDou system startedproviding independent services over China in 2000 and will serve countriesalong the Belt and Road by the end of 2018.
By around 2020, when the BDS goes global, it will have more than 30satellites.