China plans to complete its own satellite navigation system by 2015, making it independent of foreign technology such as the US-developed Global Positioning System (GPS).
The Beidou Navigation System will enable military and civilian users from China to find their way anywhere in the world.
China aims to launch 30 more satellites into space by the middle of the next decade, on top of five satellites already in orbit. Ten satellites will be launched in 2009 and 2010.
The five-satellite system in place so far only provides regional navigation services within China’s own territory.