China launched a satellite to support its global navigation and positioning network at 4:11 a.m. Wednesday.

The satellite, launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan, was taken into orbit by a Long March-3A carrier rocket.

It is the 22nd satellite in the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), which is being developed as an alternative to U.S. GPS.

It was the 225th launch of the Long March carrier rocket.

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Russia's Roscosmos to Hand Over Glonass Infrastructureto MoD in 2016
The Russian space agency Roscosmos will transfer control over the ground infrastructure of the Glonass global positioning system to the country's defense ministry later this year, Roscosmos head Igor Komarov, said Wednesday.

"Key problems have been solved... [The infrastructure will be handed over] this year," Komarov told reporters, answering a question on the subject.

Glonass is a satellite navigation system, which offers an alternative to the US Global Positioning System (GPS).

The Glonass network provides real-time positioning and speed data for surface, sea and airborne objects around the globe.

The system currently consists of 28 satellites, of which 23 are operational, and a number of ground relay stations.

Source: Xinhua News Agency