China launches twin BeiDou navigation satellites

China successfully sent a pair of BeiDou-3 navigation satellites into space via a single carrier rocket on Saturday.

The Long March-3B carrier rocket carrying 50th and 51st BeiDou navigation satellites lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 08:55 a.m. BJT.

Both satellites belong to the medium earth orbit satellites, which are part of the network satellites of BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System currently under construction in China.

The Long March-3B carrier rocket carrying 50th and 51th BeiDou navigation satellites lifts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province on November 23, 2019. [Photo: China Plus]

After more than three hours of flight, the satellites successfully entered the designated orbit.

This is the 319th flight of the Long March series of launch vehicles.