China Launches Pair Of BeiDou Satellites

摘要

BeiDous -51 and -52 were launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre at 0055 UTC on 22 November.The satellites were in orbit 4 hours later. The medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites are part of the 3rd phase of Beidou (BDS-3), helping to expand it to global navigation coverage.The orbits are at approx. 21 450 km (13 300 miles), inclined at 55.5°.