China launches twin BeiDou-3 navigation satellites
China launched twin BeiDou-3 navigation satellites into space on Jan. 12 as part of efforts to enable its BeiDou system to provide navigation and positioning services to countries along the Belt and Road by the end of 2018, reports XinhuaNet.
China’s Belt and Road Initiative aims to create the world’s largest platform for economic cooperation.
The pair of satellites was launched at 7:18 a.m. local time aboard a Long March-3B carrier rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China’s Sichuan Province. The twin satellites are coded the 26th and 27th satellites in the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System.
This is the first launch of the BeiDou satellites in 2018, which will see intensive launches throughout the year.
The twin satellites are coded MEO-7 and MEO-8, the 26th and 27th satellites in the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System.
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