China launches new BeiDou satellite

China launched the 53rd Beidou Navigation Satellite System satellite on Tuesday from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province, according to the China Satellite Navigation Office.

The satellite lifted off at 1:43 am atop a Long March 3B carrier rocket and was later placed into an inclined geosynchronous orbit, the office said in a statement, adding it is the last third-generation Beidou satellite to be deployed in such orbit.

Next, China will place six third-generation Beidou satellites into space to complete Beidou's construction, it noted.

Beidou is one of four space-based navigation networks along with the United States' GPS, Russia's GLONASS and the European Union's Galileo.

Since 2000, when the first Beidou satellite entered orbit, 53 satellites, including four experimental ones, have been launched and some of them have retired.

Beidou began providing positioning, navigation, timing and messaging services to civilian users in China and other parts of the Asia-Pacific in December 2012.

At the end of last year, China's Beidou Navigation Satellite System started to provide global services.

Currently, there are more than 40 Beidou satellites in active service.