China has successfully launched two satellites for its homegrown satellite navigation and positioning network. These two satellites, the 18th and 19th of Beidou Navigation Satellite System, will test several advanced technologies and enhance the global network.

These two satellites have the responsibility of verifying the overall plan of the global navigation system. China employs new signal format on the satellites with self-owned intellectual property, which allows the satellites to send more signals in the same period of time, better meeting the demand of the clients, said Xie Jun, the general designer of Beidou Navigation System.

The two satellites will also undergo distance measurement, anti-interference tests. They will also be interconnected with another Beidou satellite launched in March through the inter-satellite connection technology to make trials for the global network, according to Xie.

China launched the first satellite for Beidou in 2000. The Beidou system began providing positioning, navigation, timing and short message services to civilian users in China and surrounding areas in the Asia-Pacific in December 2012.

The system has been gradually put into use in extended sectors including transportation, weather forecasting, marine fishing industry, forestry and telecommunications.