BEIJING - A Chinese rocket placed a navigation satellite in orbit Saturday as part of an effort to build a global positioning system, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
The satellite was the fourth China has launched as part of its Compass navigation system, which will provide the country with navigation and positioning services beginning in 2008, Xinhua said.
A decade ago China grew worried about dependence on the U.S. satellite Global Positioning System network, the dominant positioning system, and began to develop alternatives. Besides the Compass system, China is investing in the European Union ‘s Galileo satellite navigation system and is talking about participating in Russia‘s GLONASS.
Source: Local News Watch
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