China launched two new satellites for the BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Thursday.
The two satellites, the 59th and 60th satellites of the BeiDou family, were launched at 9:14 a.m. (Beijing Time) by a Long March-3B carrier rocket and the Yuanzheng-1 (Expedition-1) upper stage attached to the carrier rocket.
They are the second group of medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites launched since BDS-3 was formally commissioned to provide satellite navigation services worldwide. After entering orbit and completing in-orbit tests, they will be connected to the BDS system.
(Reported by Liu Changlian, Chen Haojie, Ma Shuaisha; Edited by Zhou Jing)
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