Long March-3B launches the first BeiDou-3 backup satellite

A Long March-3B launch vehicle launched the first backup BeiDou-3 navigation satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan Province, southwest China, on 17 May 2023, at 02:49 UTC (10:49 local time). The geostationary satellite is the 56th of the BeiDou family and the first to act as a backup satellite for China’s BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3). Credit: China Central Television (CCTV)/China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC)