<p>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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.</p>
<p>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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.</p>