[N.B. Beidou is pronounced 'Bay Dough!'China’s GPS rival, BeiDou, is getting an upgrade as Beijing eyes global adoption
China is overhauling its home-grown satellite navigation system as part of a push to expand the network’s global influence
China is upgrading the BeiDou satellite navigation system – its home-grown alternative to the US-run Global Positioning System – as Beijing seeks to expand the network’s industrial footprint and international reach.
The project will focus on replacing older satellites with newer, third-generation models and realigning their orbital paths to allow more comprehensive global coverage, according to a document released by the China Satellite Navigation Office in late March.
The in-orbit upgrade will consolidate BeiDou’s active constellation to 37 satellites from the current 50. Most of them will operate in medium Earth orbit – the same altitude range used by GPS and Galileo – which is essential for navigation systems to provide consistent international coverage.
The upgraded constellation will primarily be made up of third-generation BDS-3 satellites, which offer better accuracy and communication capabilities than earlier models.
Thirteen BDS-2 satellites will be decommissioned as part of the upgrade. Meanwhile, five slots in the network remain vacant, leaving space for future expansion.
The strategy envisions a unified system that combines space, air and ground capabilities. It called for the joint construction of remote sensing satellites and upgraded launch, tracking and security infrastructure, as well as more data sharing among industry stakeholders.
BeiDou’s overseas users are currently mostly concentrated in countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. For instance, the system is used for ship navigation and port scheduling in the Middle East, and in the agricultural and transport sectors in Central Asia.
The upgrade announcement follows a report by Xinhua that Beijing is set to optimise the operational status of some satellites.
Before the upgrade, BeiDou offered global positioning accurate to within 10 metres and velocity tracking to within 0.2 metres per second, according to Xinhua.
Zheng Shanjie, head of China’s National Development and Reform Commission, said earlier in March that BeiDou would be worth 1 trillion yuan (US$145 billion) within the next five years.