15日零時(shí)16分，我國(guó)在西昌衛(wèi)星發(fā)射中心用“長(zhǎng)征三號(hào)丙”運(yùn)載火箭，成功將第二顆北斗導(dǎo)航衛(wèi)星送入預(yù)定軌道。這次發(fā)射的北斗導(dǎo)航衛(wèi)星，是北斗衛(wèi)星導(dǎo)航系統(tǒng)（COMPASS，中文音譯名稱Bei Dou）建設(shè)計(jì)劃中的第二顆組網(wǎng)衛(wèi)星，它是我國(guó)空間基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施的重要組成部分，可提供高精度的導(dǎo)航和定位服務(wù)。

China has successfully launched the country's second navigation satellite. Wednesday's launch is part of the country's efforts to develop an independent global satellite navigation system.

The carrier rocket --Long March 3-C -- blasted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern Sichuan Province shortly after midnight on Tuesday.

The system is code named "COMPASS". It will be a crucial part of China's space infrastructure, providing navigation and positioning services for various sectors. Among them transportation, meteorology, petroleum and prospecting.

But it will also be used for monitoring forest fire and forecasting disasters as well as for telecommunications and public security. The evolving system will also bring significant social and economic benefits.

It will enable authorized users to know their location at any time and place with accurate longitude, latitude and altitude data.

It will also offer "safer" positioning, as well as velocity and timing data. The successful launch of the geo-stationary Earth orbit satellite puts into orbit a second Chinese navigation satellite that is independent of foreign technology. China launched the first "Compass" navigation satellite into geostationary orbit two years ago.

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