China will launch three or four satellites for the Beidou Navigation Satellite System before the end of this year to ensure that a network covering the globe will take shape by 2020.

The first of our new-generation Beidou satellites, which was launched in March, is now carrying out tests on the cutting-edge navigation signaling mechanism and intersatellite links, Compared with its predecessors, the last one has a longer designed life span and higher accuracy. Its service life is around 10 to 12 years compared with eight years for the old model, and the maximum accuracy is around 2.5 meters rather than the current 10 meters.