09 December 2014
The Beidou Navigation Satellite System - China's independently developed global navigation satellite system (GNSS) - will have a constellation of 35 satellites and be ready to provide global users with geo-positioning by 2020. By 2020, China will be the third country to provide a GNSS, said Lei Fanpei, Chairman of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp., which is in charge of the research and development, and manufacturing of satellites and rockets for Beidou.
Beidou is the Chinese equivalent of the United States' NAVSTAR Global Positioning System (GPS) and Russia's Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS). Currently, Beidou owns 20 satellites.
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