China is about to have a more accurate GPS navigation system than the United States

The last satellite to complete China's BeiDou navigation system will be launched into orbit later this month.

According to TechRadar, this is considered a rival of GPS (Global Positioning System) designed and used by the US from the last century.

When completed, the BeiDou navigation system will improve services using location data, helping the Chinese military maintain a communication network.

Picture 1 of China is about to have a more accurate GPS navigation system than the United States
China's North China Sea Navigation System has more satellites than GPS (US), Galileo (Europe) and GLONASS (Russia). (Photo: Reuters)

The idea of ​​creating a North China system was planned by China in the 1990s to reduce its reliance on GPS.

The first satellite of the BeiDou system was launched by China in 2000, covering only Chinese territory. When the phone became popular, China planned to join the European Union's Galileo satellite navigation project in 2003 but withdrew to focus on the North China Sea.

In 2012, the 2nd generation of Big Dipper was launched into orbit, covering Asia - Pacific territory. The third generation of satellite covering the globe was launched in 2015, is the 17th satellite in the North Dau navigation system.

By the end of this month, the 35th satellite, the last satellite to help perfect the system, will be launched into orbit (no specific date).

The launch of the 35th satellite will help China strengthen its number one position in terms of positioning satellites compared to the US GPS (currently 31 satellites in orbit), Galileo of Europe (22 satellites) or GLONASS of Russia (24 satellites). The investment cost for the system is thought to be around USD 10 billion.

The Bac Dau navigation system is capable of locating the device in the Asia-Pacific region with an error of 10 cm, much lower than 30 cm of GPS.


2 satellites of the Bac Dau navigation system are launched at the Xichang Satellite Launching Center. (Photo: Reuters) .

The Bac Dau project is designed to help protect China's communication network, especially in the military system, improving the ability to accurately target. It also enhances the security in the context of strained relations between China and the US, which shows that China is competitive in the field that the US dominates.

Andrew Dempster, Director of the Australian Center for Aerospace Technology Research, said late access could help Bac Dau take advantage of GPS experience and take advantage of science and technology in recent years. . According to Dempster, the advantages of the Big Dipper lie in high bandwidth, low accuracy and low trajectory plane, which makes satellite maintenance easier.

According to Chinese media, services using the Big Dipper system have been provided in more than 120 countries so far. Thailand and Pakistan are the first two foreign countries to sign the system since 2013.

By 2019, more than 70% of smartphones operating in China will use the North China Sea Navigation System.