China has just successfully placed into orbit her fourth satellite, which over the next ten years would complete a constellation of 35, to offer navigation and communications services to the world. By 2012, the BeiDou (COMPASS), in Chinese, 北斗卫星导航系统, system becomes operational for the Asia region. By 2020, it will service the entire globe. China joins the U.S. (GPS) and … [Read more...] about BeiDou (COMPASS), China’s GPS, to service Asia by 2012 and the world by 2020