2018年CRI Beidou satellites show importance of indigenous core technology

 

A leading Chinese expert has stressed that China's home-grown Beidou Navigation Satellite System demonstrates the necessity for the country to grasp a core technology that is entirely¹ self-developed, after a US ban on a leading Chinese smartphone maker².

On Monday, the US Department of Commerce banned US companies from selling key components³ to ZTE for seven years, which many insiders believe will bring a huge loss to the company.

The Beidou Navigation Satellite System, or BDS, independently developed and operated by China, is named after the Chinese term for the Big Dipper constellation⁴. The project was formally launched in 1994, and it began to serve China in 2000, and then the Asia-Pacific region in 2012.

According to a white paper on the BDS, China upholds the principles of "independence, openness, compatibility and gradualness" in the system's construction and development. By "independence," it means to uphold independent construction, development and operation of the BDS, and acquire the ability to independently provide satellite navigation services to the rest of the world.

Yang Yuguang is a professor from the China Aerospace⁵ Science & Industry Corporation and the secretary of the International Astronautical Federation⁶ Space Transportation Committee. He stressed that it's necessary for China to build its own navigation satellite system using core technologies that are completely indigenous⁷.

"In the space capable nations of the whole world, the United States and Russia have global positioning systems. And also the European Union or the ESA has its own navigation satellite system called Galileo. And for India and Japan, they also built their regional navigation satellite systems. So you can see, almost all the space capable nations with no exception has built their own navigation satellite systems and of course China should do it," said Yang. 

Some reports have shown that an object's position can be located as accurate as within one meter by using the BDS. Yang Yuguang said there's still much room to improve such accuracy by developing China's own technology.

"According to the official release, the Beidou system can provide positioning accuracy better than ten meters. They can also provide more accurate services. With a ground enhance system, they can provide accuracy better than one meter. I should emphasize that the navigation satellite system has been used widely and it has already formed a huge industry, which values billions or even trillions of dollars," said Yang.

Many models of smartphone brands such as Huawei, Xiaomi and HTC support the BDS, and more are expected to do so in the future. China has already sold over 50 million domestically manufactured chips connected to the system in the past five years. By 2020, the value of China's satellite navigation business is expected to surpass 400 billion yuan, or about 58 billion U.S. dollars. Around 60 to 80 percent of that value will be generated by the BDS.

1 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

2 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

3 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

4 constellation   

n.星座n.灿烂的一群

参考例句：

• A constellation is a pattern of stars as seen from the earth. 一个星座只是从地球上看到的某些恒星的一种样子。
• The Big Dipper is not by itself a constellation. 北斗七星本身不是一个星座。

5 aerospace   

adj.航空的，宇宙航行的

参考例句：

• The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
• Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army.爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。

6 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

7 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。