On November 5, China first successfully launched two Beidou-3 satellites via a single Long March-3B carrier rocket in Xichang Satellite Launch Center, marking the beginning of a new era where Beidou will provide all-time/all-weather satellite-navigation service for global civil aviation. Relevant persons from CAAC Office of Air Traffic Regulation were invited by China Satellite Navigation Office to witness on-site the launching process.

Civil aviation industry, as one of the major users of Beidou-3 satellites in the future, has already kicked off in advance the international civil aviation standardization work of Beidou-3 satellites this year. During the ICAO Navigation System Panel meeting held in October this year, CAAC Office of Air Traffic Regulation officially submitted a proposal on revising ICAO’s standards and recommended practices regarding the newly added global signals from Beidou-3 satellites, and actively participated in the revision of standards and recommended practices on Beidou Satellite-based Augmentation System. Beidou-3 satellites launched this time will, on the basis of Beidou-2 satellites serving China and neighboring areas, provide global service signals with optimized performance, meanwhile offer satellite-based augmentation service according to international civil aviation standards.

As planned, China will see a new round of high-frequency launch of Beidou satellites there since, as 18 Beidou-3 satellites will be launched by the end of 2018, to cover “Belt and Road” countries; and more than 30 will be launched by 2020 to realize global coverage. During this process, CAAC will cooperate with Beidou-3 satellites and relevant satellite-based augmentation system building and application, and actively promote international civil aviation standardization of Beidou system and its global civil aviation application.