A rocket blasts off from its launching pad at Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province early April 15.
The Long March series carrier rocket successfully sent Compass-G2, the second navigation satellite of China's global positioning and navigation system, to its preset geostationary Earth orbit.
The system, called Compass, is a major part of China's space infrastructure, which will help monitor meteorology for disaster forecasts, as well as provide services in transportation and telecommunications.
The entire Compass system comprises 30 more orbiters and is expected to be completed by 2015. |