China launched a pair of Beidou-2 global positioning and navigation satellites April 29 aboard a Long March 3B rocket in a predawn liftoff from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province.
The launch marked the first time China has boosted two Beidou satellites to orbit on a single rocket, according to China’s Xinhua state-run news service.
China plans to launch three more Beidou satellites this year and complete the constellation of 30-plus satellites by 2020.
