SHANGHAI: More than two years after the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) was put into service, two new satellites in the BDS family are being prepared for operation, with the aim of testing the new generation of technologies, while improving the accuracy and reliability of the system.
At the Innovation Academy of Microsatellites of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a team of 81 engineers and researchers with an average age of less than 31 has sent 10 BDS satellites into space so far.
Today, the development of two new satellites is nearing completion, with only the solar wings yet to be installed.
The satellites are over two meters high and consist of two compartments. The upper part consists of the payloads, which allow the satellite to perform functions like positioning, navigation and timing, while the lower part is the module that ensures the satellite’s stable operation.
Li Shaoqian, vice director of the satellite research institute at the academy, said that the two satellites were once backups for the BDS-3. As the BDS-3 has been operating stably, the two satellites will now be launched as test satellites to verify the new-generation BDS technology and products.
According to Li, they will verify new technologies like providing higher precision timing benchmarks and improving inter-satellite links.
–The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
