- China will upgrade its BeiDou navigation system, optimizing the operational status of some of its 50 in-orbit satellites.
- The upgrade highlights China's ambitions in the navigation industry and paves the way for a next-generation system by 2035.
China announced an in-orbit upgrade for its homegrown BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), aiming to further optimize the massive network of 50 in-orbit satellites.
The system's management office announced the plan on Friday, pledging to continuously monitor the network and ensure user experience during the upgrade.
BeiDou currently boasts a global positioning accuracy of better than 10 meters, while its precise point positioning service can achieve a horizontal accuracy of under 0.3 meters, according to an official statement.
The technological upgrade holds significant economic importance for China's massive navigation industry.
The total output value of the core BeiDou industry reached 575.8 billion yuan ($835) in 2024, with about 288 million smartphones nationwide supporting the function, state broadcaster CCTV reported in May 2025.
BeiDou provides over 1 trillion location services and covers more than 4 billion kilometers of navigation daily, with related products exported to over 140 countries and regions.
The in-orbit upgrade is also a crucial step toward China's next-generation navigation system. The country plans to launch three pilot test satellites around 2027 to experiment with new technologies.
Under its long-term plan, China aims to complete the construction of a more technologically advanced, next-generation BeiDou system by 2035.
($1 = 6.896 yuan)
