China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System embarks on new journey of global, industrial development

A man operates a Beidou-based drone in Hanzhong, Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province to take videos and pictures of mountains for disaster management. (Photo by Yang Jinglong/People''s Daily Online)

China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3) has met the requirements in performance indexes of positioning, velocity measurement, and timing precision, as well as the availability and continuity of its services, based on real-time testing of the international GNSS monitoring and assessment system.

The message was announced by the Test and Assessment Research Center of China Satellite Navigation Office on March 4.

Since being commissioned on July 31, 2020, the BDS-3 has maintained stable operation and offered quality services for global users, embarking on a new journey of global and industrial development.

The BDS-3 boasts world-class services, and its featured services have been widely launched. Its short message communication services are available for general users and its satellite-based augmentation system is also opened to users in civil aviation, maritime and railway sectors.

Ground tracks of BDS satellites. (Photo from official website of BeiDou Navigation Satellite System)

The ground-based augmentation system of the BDS-3 is able to offer centimeter kinematic positioning and millimeter static positioning services. Precise point positioning is now offered for precision farming, land surveying and autopilot users, and international rescue services are also being launched in accordance with requirements by international organizations.

The BDS-3 is developing from a regional product to one that covers the globe. Breakthroughs have been made in domestically produced chips and modules compatible with the system, and their performance indexes match those of their international counterparts. These chips and modules have been widely applied in industries.

Basic products of the Chinese navigation system have been exported to over 120 countries and regions, applications such as land rights confirmation, precision farming, digital construction and smart port services based on the system have also been applied in ASEAN countries, South Asia, East Europe, East Asia and Africa, contributing to local economic and social development, as well as the construction of the Belt and Road.

Besides, the BDS-3 has also entered the daily life of common people. Since its commissioning, mainstream smart phone manufacturers have listed Beidou navigation network in their products, including Apple.According to statistics, 79 percent of smart phones applied to be compatible with the BDS-3 in the last quarter of 2020.

An illustration of the tracks of BDS satellites. (Photo from official website of BeiDou Navigation Satellite System)

The application of Beidou’s featured services will facilitate the upgrading of industries. Regional short message communication services of the BDS-3 are expected to be equipped on smart phones before the end of this year, while the high-precision ground-based augmentation of the system has already been available on smart phones, offering meter-level positioning services. In addition, high-precision Beidou applications have also been piloted in some cities.

Major suppliers of Beidou products will promote the interaction between upstream and downstream firms along the industrial chain, advance results sharing and enhance synergetic marketing. They will also continue expanding domestic and international market, strengthen integrated development of Beidou and other frontier technologies such as internet of things, autopilot, artificial intelligence, 5G communication and block chain, so as to give a bigger role of the positioning system in new infrastructure construction, and facilitate merging businesses and industries.

The BDS-3 will also help with the construction of a high-precision national comprehensive positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) system. Currently, the PNT system is under construction. According to relevant plans, China will make the PNT system more ubiquitous, integrated and intelligent before 2035, and build space-time service infrastructure facilities featuring three-dimensional coverage, unified benchmark, high precision, high security, high intelligence, high flexibility and high benefits, to serve the globe and benefit the mankind.