Article Posted on : - Apr 30, 2012

A file photo.

BEIJING (BNS): To bolster its indigenous global navigation and positioning network, China on Monday successfully orbited two Beidou-2 satellites.

The twin satellites were lifted off by the country's workhorse Long March-3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in the southwestern province of Sichuan at 4:50 am Beijing Time Monday and entered the scheduled orbit, the official Xinuha news agency said.

It was the first time China launched two navigation satellites with one rocket, the launch centre said.

The satellites - 12th and 13th in series for the proposed Beidou global navigation and positioning network - will help to improve the accuracy of the Beidou, or Compass system, the launch centre said.

The 11th Beidou satellite was launched in February this year.

China began to build the Beidou or Compass system in 2000 with a goal of breaking its dependence on the US Global Positioning System (GPS) and creating its own global positioning system by 2020.

The indigenous navigation system began providing services on a trial basis on December 27, 2011.

China plans to launch three more such satellites this year with a target to complete the indigenous global navigation network by 2020 with more than 30 satellites in orbit, the news report said.