China has launched the sixth satellite in its navigation system. The Beidou-2 Compass-G4 satellite was carried by Long March 3-C launch vehicle.

The rocket took off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province. The latest lunar probe joins five other satellites already in orbit to form a network that will eventually consist of 35 satellites.

The Compass Navigation Satellite System, or CNSS, is China's second-generation satellite navigation system. It will provide continuous, real-time 3D geo-spatial pictures from space. The system will help with mapping, telecommunications, fisheries and disaster-reduction. In 2020, the Beidou satellite navigation system will have the capacity to serve the entire world.