China launched twin satellites into space on a single carrier rocket on Friday. It's part of efforts to enable its BeiDou system to provide navigation and positioning services to countries along the Belt and Road route by the end of 2018.

The Long March-3B carrier rocket took off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan at 7:18 a.m. This is the first launch of the BeiDou satellites in 2018. More are planned as the year unfolds. Named after the Chinese term for the plough or the Big Dipper constellation, the BeiDou project was formally initiated in 1994. It began to serve China in 2000 and the Asia-Pacific region at the end of 2012. By around 2020, the system is expected to cover the rest of the world.