The eighth satellite in China's Beidou-2 global navigation system was launched on-board a Long March 3A rocket on 10 April 2011, according to the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology.
The Beidou-2 system will compete with the US' Global Positioning System, the European Union's Galileo, and Russia's Global Navigation Satellite System (Glonass).
Beidou-2 is expected to have twelve to fourteen navigation satellites in orbit by 2015, providing location, timing, and short messaging services to the Asia-Pacific region. By 2020, there will be more than thirty satellites in the system, covering almost the entire globe.
The system is expected to generate revenues of around 400 billion Yuan (approximately AUD 60 billion) for China in 2020.
