China goes back to space just weeks after catching the world by surprise with a SAT killing maneuver. The so called ASAT mission left a huge debris field and worse, according the the Japanese, violated international law. Although billed as a "friendly" GPS satellite, the new space monkey undoubtedly has Military applications...giving China another foot into the Space Battlefield. America and the world sleep....
GPS Daily
by Staff WritersXichang, China (XNA)
Feb 05, 2007
China successfully put a navigation satellite into orbit early Saturday from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province. The carrier rocket, Long March 3-A, blasted off at 0:28 a.m. ( Beijing Time). The satellite separated from the rocket about 24 minutes later. Data from the Xi'an satellite monitoring center showed that the satellite had accurately entered its orbit.
Experts said the Beidou satellite navigation experimental system is operating well and has played a significant role in cartography, telecommunications, water conservation, transportation, fishery, prospecting, forest fire monitoring and national security.
Compass Satellite Navigation Experimental System (BeiDou-1)
It is China’s first space-based regional navigation and positioning network. The system provides all-weather, two-dimensional positioning data for both military and civilian users.
New Scientist.com
But things appear to have changed in Beijing. On 2 November, the country's official news agency Xinhua reported that Beidou would, from 2008, begin providing an "open" level of service, with 10-metre accuracy, in addition to its "authorised", encrypted military service.
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