A Long March-3C carrier rocket carrying the "Beidou," or Compass navigation satellite took off at 0:26 am today from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province.
It will join five other satellites already in orbit to form a network which will eventually consist of 35 satellites. The network will provide satellite navigation services for Asia-Pacific regions by 2012 and global services by 2020.
The China Academy of Space Technology developed the satellite and the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology developed the carrier rocket, official Xinhua news agency reported.