China already has a total of 44 GPS satellites in orbit (at the end of 2023), known as the Beidou constellation. The country’s China Satellite Navigation System Management Office (CNSO) has explained how this existing system will be augmented.

According to Xinhua News Agency, CNSO says that by the end of 2025 it will have completed a design update and plans to launch three test satellites during 2027 into low Earth orbit (LEO) to ensure all is working well.

The new Beidou fleet will start launching in 2029 and be completed by 2035. These ‘next-gen’ craft “will provide highly accurate navigation, positioning and timing in real time, with accuracy levels ranging from metres to decimetres.

Beidou’s deputy chief designer Xie Jun told Global Times that its existing constellation would serve as the core for the upgraded system featuring new LEO satellites. Beidou products are currently exported to over 140 countries and regions.

The new technology is intended to be an improvement on China’s existing GPS satellites.

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Tags: china, GPS, satellite