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www.astronautix.com Beidou
DFH-3
DFH-3
Credit: via Chen Lan
367 x 181 pixels - 11,788 bytes
Class: Navigation. Nation: China.

Beidou ('Big Dipper') was the satellite component of an independent Chinese satellite navigation and positioning system. This was to be achieved by launching a satellite constellation in stages during 2000-2010 while developing the relevant application systems. The end result would be a Chinese indigenous satellite navigation and positioning industry. Experimental launch of the first two indigenous Beidou navigation satellites was in 2000. Beidou began in 1983 with a proposal by Chen Fangyun to develop a Twinsat regional navigation system using two geostationary satellites. The concept was proven in 1989 in a test using two in-orbit DFH-2/2A communcations satellites. This test showed that the precision of the Twinsat system would be comparable to the American Global Positioning System. In 1993, the Beidou program was officially started. Beidou used the DFH-3 bus and had similar basic performance. The final Beidou constellation was to consist of four geosynchronous satellites, two operational and two backups.

Total Mass: 2,200 kg. Total Propellants: 1,100 kg.

Beidou Chronology
30 October 2000 Beidou 1A Launch Site: Xichang . Launch Vehicle: CZ-3A. Perigee: 35,772 km. Apogee: 35,803 km. Inclination: 0.1 deg.

Stationed at 140 deg E. Beidou was China's first experimental navigation technology satellite, developed by CAST/Beijing. The satellite was placed in an initial 195 x 41889 km x 25.0 deg orbit geostationary transfer orbit before entering its final geosynchornous orbit at around 0500 GMT on November 6. Beidou was the Chinese name for the Big Dipper constellation. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 140 deg E in 2000 Last known longitude (6 September 2001) 140.05 deg E drifting at 0.006 deg W per day.

20 December 2000 Beidou 1B Launch Site: Xichang . Launch Vehicle: CZ-3A. Perigee: 197 km. Apogee: 41,781 km. Inclination: 25.0 deg.

This was the second Beidou geosynchronous navigation satellite. The CZ-3A rocket's third stage put Beidou in geostationary transfer orbit at around 1642 GMT. The Beidou satellite was based on the DFH-3 comsat and had a mass of around 2200 kg including its FY-25 solid apogee motor. On December 25 Beidou was in a 190 x 41870 km x 25.0 deg transfer orbit. The launch of this second Beidou completed the prototype two-satellite navigational system which was to provide positional information for highway, railway and marine transportation. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 80 deg E in 2001 Last known longitude (5 September 2001) 80.39 deg E drifting at 0.002 deg E per day.

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Last update 19 April 2002.
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