spacetoday.net: space news from around the webin association with SpaceNews


China launches navigation satellite
Posted: Sat, Feb 3, 2007, 7:04 AM ET (1204 GMT)
Long March 3A launch of fourth Beidou satellite (Xinhua) A Chinese rocket launched a new navigation satellite early Saturday in that nation's first orbital launch of the year. The Long March 3A rocket lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 11:28 am EST Friday (1628 GMT Friday, 12:28 am Saturday Beijing time) and released the Beidou satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit about 24 minutes later. The satellite is the fourth in a series of geosynchronous orbit satellites that provide a regional satellite navigation for China. This specific satellite will initially serve as an on-orbit backup to the existing satellites, according to Chinese media accounts, and later will replace the first Beidou satellite, launched in October 2000. The country is also developing a global navigation system called Compass that China plans to deploy starting in 2008.
<<previous article   next article>>
news in brief
Russian cosmonauts complete ISS spacewalk
Posted: Sat, Dec 21 12:02 PM ET (1702 GMT)



news links
Monday, December 23
ISRO to conduct experiments on growing plants in space
The Tribune (India) — 7:15 am ET (1215 GMT)


about spacetoday.net   ·   info@spacetoday.net   ·   mailing list