Lift Off: China launches another two satellites for its Beidou navigation system

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China has successfully launched another two navigation satellites. Their successful entry into orbit nearly completes the third phase of the Beidou Navigation Satellite System. Tang Bo has more from southwest Sichuan Province.

TANG BO XICHANG, SICHUAN PROVINCE "The twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth orbiters for China's Beidou Navigation Satellite System, atop a Long March carrier rocket, is now lifting off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center."

The carrier rocket blasted off from the launch center at around 1 o'clock on Monday afternoon. After more than three hours of flying, the twin satellites successfully entered its designated orbit… over 20,000 kilometers above the Earth.

The twin satellites are part of the third phase of the Beidou navigation satellite system, each carrying a rubidium atomic clock that can highly improve the system's positioning accuracy. Compared to the rubidium atomic clocks on other orbiters of the system, the new ones are smaller, lighter, and more advanced.

The satellites are actually loaded in the Long March rocket's upper stage, which serves as a space shuttle bus that can take the satellites to the intended orbit without consuming the satellites' own energy. Now some new technologies have been developed to the upper stage to ensure a much safer trip.

HAO JUN, UPPER STAGE COMMANDER XICHANG SATELLITE LAUNCH CENTER "We have been using the upper stage for six Beidou launch missions, and have developed some new technologies. For example, if the carrier rocket sends the upper stage to an orbit lower or higher than the intended orbit, a redundancy system will help bring the 'shuttle bus' back on track before releasing the satellites."

After the twin orbiters, there are 16 more navigation satellites to be sent to space this year. By 2020, the entire Beidou Navigation Satellite System is expected to be complete and start to form a global serving capacity. Tang Bo, CGTN, Xichang, Sichuan Province.