According to China’s Satellite Navigation System Management Office, China’s Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) currently has 39 satellites in orbit. China plans to send five to seven more BDS satellites into space this year and two to four in 2020, which will help fully complete a BDS global network. China promotes integration of BDS with Russia’s GLONASS. While the GLONASS network mostly serves high-latitude regions, China’s Beidou navigation system mainly focuses on providing networks for the low-latitude areas. Bilateral cooperation between China and Russia will create a larger, broader, more stable and more robust satellite network, with more accurate positioning to challenge GPS. Beidou participates in various international organizations such as the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Maritime Organization. In the future, BDS will be further integrated with the Internet, the Internet of things, 5G and big data.

CAS news release, September 5, 2019

Xinhua-net, September 3, 2019