China's satellite is its answer to America's GPS

Compass is less well-known than Beijing's highly touted aircraft carrier program though it is arguably more significant. A planned satellite network aimed to rival America's Global Positioning System (GPS), it should provide the PLA with a vastly improved operational capability across nearly the full spectrum of military activity.

China earlier this month launched the fifth of a 35-satellite constellation initiated in 2000 and due for completion by 2020. In noting this event, the state news agency Xinhua stated: “(Compass) is a crucial part of the country's space infrastructure for providing navigation and positioning services in transportation, meteorology, petroleum prospecting, forest fire monitoring, disaster forecast, telecommunications and public security among others.”

The statement loosely acknowledges but significantly underplays the system's military implication.

“Our understanding is that Compass (like the Pentagon-controlled GPS) is primarily a military system,” said a knowledgeable American official, contacted in Washington, although later acknowledging that both are properly dual-use systems. “They already have access to GPS and are very happy with that, but they want to have something they can control.”

Simply put, China doesn't need its own costly satellite system to help taxis find a street address. But in the event of war, it aims to ensure that PLA navigational and positioning capabilities cannot be easily jammed to render them catastrophically ineffective.

Compass currently involves five satellites providing a core capability over China. Within two years, it should have a regional reach with five geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites, five inclined geosynchronous orbit (IGSO) satellites and four medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites. By 2020 the full constellation should provide global coverage with five GEO, three IGSO and 27 MEO satellites.

A GEO satellite remains in fixed orbit in relation to the earth, in this case staying over China to reinforce the system. An IGSO satellite provides improved reception in difficult terrain, such as mountainous regions and urban canyons. An MEO satellite is the basic component of any global navigational and positioning system, with some included to provide a backup redundancy.

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