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China’s next-gen BeiDou satellites reach for the moon – and your mobile
- New technologies will extend the satnav system to include underwater communications and deep space, with ‘unprecedented accuracy’
- Mobile phone access in remote parts of the Earth will also be enhanced, programme chief says
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Stephen Chenin Beijing
China is developing a new generation of satellites for its BeiDou system that will give unprecedented accuracy and coverage for a range of services, including mobile phone access, according to the programme chief.
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Ran Chengqi, director of the China Satellite Navigation Office, said the new global positioning system, tentatively named BeiDou 4, would extend its services to include underwater communications and deep space.
The satellites would use new technologies, including more precise atomic clocks, to further increase BeiDou’s positioning accuracy – already on a par with the US military’s GPS, Ran said in Beijing on Friday.
Ran said China planned to launch three to five more BeiDou satellites next year to test the new technologies and their integration with the mobile phone communication network.
“Our plan is to complete the construction of this system by 2035. No matter where you are in the world, at any moment, you will have access to the secure, reliable time-space technology provided by BeiDou from China,” he said.
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BeiDou – which means Big Dipper – is the largest timing and guidance network, with 45 satellites in service.
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