China launches navigation satellite
Posted: Sat, Dec 18, 2010, 8:00 AM ET (1300 GMT)
A Long March rocket placed into orbit early Saturday the latest spacecraft for China's satellite navigation program. The Long March 3A rocket lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 3:20 pm EST Friday (2020 GMT Friday, 4:20 am Beijing time Saturday) and placed the latest Beidou satellite into orbit. The satellite, designated Compass-I2, is the second satellite to be placed into an inclined geosynchronous orbit, allowing its signals to reach polar regions. The satellite is part of Beidou, China's satellite navigation system that plans to provide regional coverage by 2012 and global coverage by 2020. The launch was the 15th, and likely final, launch of 2010, the most orbital launches China has conducted in a single year.
A Long March rocket placed into orbit early Saturday the latest spacecraft for China's satellite navigation program. The Long March 3A rocket lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 3:20 pm EST Friday (2020 GMT Friday, 4:20 am Beijing time Saturday) and placed the latest Beidou satellite into orbit. The satellite, designated Compass-I2, is the second satellite to be placed into an inclined geosynchronous orbit, allowing its signals to reach polar regions. The satellite is part of Beidou, China's satellite navigation system that plans to provide regional coverage by 2012 and global coverage by 2020. The launch was the 15th, and likely final, launch of 2010, the most orbital launches China has conducted in a single year.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Saturday, August 22
NRO Awards Operational Commercial Radio Frequency Capabilities Augmentation
NRO — 3:23 pm ET (1923 GMT) ‘Hidden’ stars make first galaxies much more massive than previously thought
Univ. of Leiden — 3:15 pm ET (1915 GMT) Asteroid impact shaped the appearance of Mars’ moon Deimos
Univ. of Bern — 3:07 pm ET (1907 GMT) HawkEye 360 Awarded NRO Commercial RF Capability Augmentation Contract
HawkEye 360 — 3:04 pm ET (1904 GMT) All Points Logistics Awarded NASA Spacecraft Processing and Operations Contract (SPOC) On-Ramp, Building on Recent 2026 Wins and Milestones
All Points — 2:58 pm ET (1858 GMT) |
