China Threatens U.S. Space Power by Completing Satellite Network
The final piece of a collection of satellites, China’s alternative to GPS, is intensifying the competition with the U.S.
A Long March-3B rocket carrying the Beidou-3GEO3 satellite lifts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province on June 23.
Photographer: AFP via Getty Images
A Long March-3B rocket took off from a launchpad in Sichuan province Tuesday to put a satellite in orbit, giving China a win in its intensifying rivalry with the U.S. and boosting its ability to be self-reliant in new technologies.
The five-ton satellite is the final piece of the Beidou network, a collection of several dozen satellites that is China’s alternative to the U.S.-run Global Positioning System. GPS provides navigation and timing data that is essential to operating everything from massive container ships to electric cars while also tracking the microchip in your dog.