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Issue 31

03 Flash Archive · Members Only

Evolution of China’s Beidou Constellation

China's Beido-3 reached full operational status in June 2020 marking a major milestone in a 20+ year journey to develop a completely indigenous GNSS. A recent open source report provides a brief history of the project, its features, and what may be on the horizon. - With the launch of a Long March 3B in June 2020 the…

Author Greg Gillinger Published September 26, 2021

China’s Beido-3 reached full operational status in June 2020 marking a major milestone in a 20+ year journey to develop a completely indigenous GNSS. A recent open source report provides a brief history of the project, its features, and what may be on the horizon.

– With the launch of a Long March 3B in June 2020 the final Geostationary Beidou satellite was placed into service marking the end of a 20 year journey.

– China’s investment in developing its own PNT constellation increased in the early 2000s after several “wake-up calls” in the 1990s.

The Yinhe Incident in 1993: the US suspected a Chinese cargo ship (“Yinhe Hao”) of carrying chemical weapons for Iran, and used several means to strand the Chinese ship in international waters, including disrupting GPS signals.

The Third Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1996: China launched a number of missiles close to northern Taiwanese waters. Several of these missiles failed to reach target. There was belief within China that the failures were due to the US disrupting GPS signals. Per one PLA Colonel: “It was a great shame for the PLA … an unforgettable humiliation.”

– Beidou evolved through a series of 3 phases.

1. Beidou-1 (2000-2012): A triplet of geostationnary satellites, aimed at providing active PNT services and covering exclusively the territory of China. It was deployed between 2000 and 2003, and was decomissioned in 2012.

2. Beidou-2 (2004- ): Developed between 2004 and 2012, Beidou-2 was more advanced and broadened satnav coverage to the Asian-Pacific region. It differs from other GNSS constellations by combining MEO satellites with GEO and IGSO satellites (respectively 4, 5, and 5 satellites). GPS, GLONASS and Galileo on the other hand are purely MEO constellations. PNT services starting from Beidou-2 were mainly passive.

3. Beidou-3 (2013- ): Similar hybrid constellation with its predecessor but provides global coverage with 24 MEO satellites, 3 GEO satellites, and 3 IGSO satellites. While the MEO satellites provide the worldwide coverage, the GEO and IGSO satellites aim at enhancing performance and services for China and Asia Pacific countries. Beidou-3 also comprises a ground segment, composed of a number of ground stations, as well as inter-satellite links, which enable satellite telemetry and control without having a global network of ground stations.

– In addition to providing geolocation services, Beidou users can also use it to send messages. Within China and Asia-Pacific, users can send messages up to 1000 Chinese characters, thanks to the coverage of the 3 GEO satellites in the region. Users outside of the region are limited to 40 character messages.

– The government maintains tight control of both the Beidou space and ground segments. However there is considerable competition within the user segment to provide user equipment and services.

– Local Chinese governments have also been supportive through the creation of Beidou-centered industrial parks, providing facilities and investment to domestic startups. Outbound political strategies such as BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) are also likely to promote Chinese-designed and manufactured satnav solutions.

While the space segment of the Beidou-3 constellation (ie. the satellites) were completed in June 2020, more sophisticated GNSS augmentation services are still in the deployment phase and should be completed by 2025 based on various reports by China’s Satellite Navigation Office (CSNO).

Evolution of China's Beidou Constellation

Original PDF links: Source 1