According to a white paper released on Friday by the State Council Information Office, China has advanced the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) into a world-class system with cutting-edge technologies, innovative design, and potent capabilities.
The white paper, “China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System in the New Era,” claimed that the BDS had advanced to a level where it is a global leader in key technologies such as hybrid constellation, inter-satellite links, and signal structure.
BDS can offer a variety of specialised services and is interoperable with other navigation satellite systems, according to the report.
Furthermore, it emphasised BeiDou’s exceptional batch production capabilities, claiming that in less than three years, 18 rockets had launched 30 BDS satellites, “a pace unmatched by any other country.”
BDS has a broad range of services at its disposal, including positioning, navigation, timing, and global search and rescue. According to this report, it is the first navigation satellite system in the world capable of offering a global short message communication service.
Ran Chengqi, a spokesman for the system, stated at a media presentation on the white paper in Beijing that the actual positioning accuracy of the BeiDou system is currently greater than five metres, and in some regions, between two and three metres, much over its design aim of 10 metres.
Ran noted that the BDS’s timing precision had also surpassed the desired level of 20 nanoseconds, achieving 10 nanoseconds, indicating that it is on par with other significant global navigation systems.
According to the article, “the core components of BDS have been developed and operated in a 100 percent independent manner, providing a strong foundation for its widespread use.”
