Navigation
BEIDOU-3 M5
Chinese Navigation Satellite (BeiDou-3) · CNSA / China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
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BeiDou-3 M5, launched in 2018, is part of the wave of satellites that brought BeiDou-3 close to full global operational status. China explicitly designed BeiDou-3 to be interoperable with GPS, Galileo, and GLONASS at the signal level — a receiver chip capable of using all four simultaneously can lock onto more satellites overhead at once, meaningfully improving positioning speed and accuracy in challenging environments like dense cities or forested terrain.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Medium Earth Orbita high vantage point, ideal for navigation
- Altitude
- 13,375–13,388 mi (21,525–21,546 km)
- Inclination
- 54.1°
- One orbit
- 12.9 hours1.9 orbits a day
- NORAD ID
- 43581
- Int’l designator
- 2018-062A
- Launched
- 2018
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 21 Sep 2026.
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