China successfully launched its second Beidou satellite(COMPASS-G2) early Wednesday, as part of the country's independent global satellite navigation system.

China's second Beidou satellite is rocketed into space from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province on Wednesday, April 15, 2009. [Xinhua]

The carrier rocket, Long March 3C, blasted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province at 0:16 a.m..

An official with the National Engineering Center of Satellite Navigation told Xinhua, the successful launch of the geostationary Earth orbit satellite was of great importance as it was the second one of the country's satellite navigation system independent from foreign technology.

The system, code named "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. It can bring significant social and economic benefits, the official said.