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A new satellite for China's Beidou navigation system will be launched at the end of October, joining 15 satellites already in orbit, the Beijing News reported on Monday.

 

The new satellite will complete a network that can offer services to customers in the Asia Pacific region.

 

China has sent five civilian satellites into space since the beginning of the year to speed up the completion of the network for the Beidou navigation and positioning system.

 

In 2000, China launched its first navigation satellite for the Beidou system, which can be an alternative to the US government-run Global Positioning System, or GPS.

 

As planned, the country will have a regional Beidou navigation system covering China and neighbouring regions this year, and will provide services to global customers upon its completion in 2020, according to the China National Space Administration.

 

The system will be used in transportation, weather forecasting, marine fisheries, forestry, telecommunications, hydrological monitoring and mapping.