Page 90 - SAMENA Trends - February 2020

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China to Complete Its Answer to GPS with Beidou Navigation Satellite

Launches in March, May

China will launch Beidou navigation services. Notably Beidou removes previous various ground stations, including master
satellites in March and May this year, Chinese military reliance on U.S. GPS, which control stations, time synchronization and
completing a constellation designed for an would be made unavailable in a conflict. uplink stations and monitoring stations.¬
array of civil and military applications. A The Beidou system has been constructed The user segment refers to receivers and
Long March 3B rocket arrived at the Xichang in three phases. The construction of processors that allow a system or device
Satellite Launch Center Feb. 14, according BDS-1 to provide services to China was to make use of the signals transmitted
to China News Service. The Beidou satellite completed by 200. BDS-2, providing by satellites. BDS features compatibility
for the launch has also arrived at Xichang, services to the Asia-Pacific region, was and interoperability with other navigation
the report states. Both missions will completed by 2012, while BDS-3 will be satellite systems. The Beidou is also
launch single satellites to geosynchronous completed to provide global services in H1 features in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)
transfer orbits using enhanced hypergolic 2020. As with GPS and other navigation mega-project. The system has become
Long March 3B rockets. Xichang systems, Beidou also has requisite ground operational in Pakistan following rollout of
spaceport has implemented measures and user segments as well as the space ground stations, with the military opting to
to counter the spread of the Covid-19 segment.. The ground segment consists of switch from GPS to Beidou services.
coronavirus, but has resumed launches
following the Chinese New Year holiday.
China announced plans for more than 40
launches this year ahead of the outbreak.
The completed Beidou navigation satellite
system consists of 27 satellites in medium
Earth orbits, five in geostationary orbits
and three in inclined GEO orbits. The orbits
of the latter are designed to form two
figure eight loops to provide optimized
coverage to China and neighboring
countries in the Asia-Pacific. Beidou
navigation and positioning system (BDS)
is used in sectors including public security,
transportation, fishing, power, forestry,
disaster reduction, the construction of
smart cities, social governance and mass
market applications. This system can also
be used for emergency search and rescue.
BDS also boosts the capabilities of the
People’s Liberation Army in areas including
weapons targeting, guidance and other

Thaicom 5 Satellite Ends Service

Thaicom Public Company Limited has completed the deorbiting of Thaicom 5 deorbit the Thaicom 5 satellite. Thaicom 5
announced the successful migration on 26 February 2020 at 4.52 p.m. (Local provided reliable satellite communication
of its customers from the Thaicom 5 Time). On 17 December 2019, Thaicom services for 14 years since its launched
satellite to Thaicom 6 and other satellites. 5 experienced a technical issue causing in May 2006. The Company would like
The Company has put in its best effort technical limitations to monitoring the to thank the Ministry of Digital Economy
to resolving the technical anomaly in status of the satellite. The Company has and Society (MDES) and the National
order to ensure the continuity of services performed several unsuccessful attempts Broadcasting and Telecommunications
to its customers. The migration and to recover the satellite’s technical incident Commission (NBTC) for their prudent
service restoration were completed on 20 ever since the anomaly occurred, resulting decision to support and approve of the
February 2020. Meanwhile, the Company in the satellite manufacturer’s opinion to relevant process.

90 FEBRUARY 2020