China Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) is a global satellite navigation system developed by China. It is the third mature satellite navigation system after American Global Positioning System (GPS) and Russian GLONASS. Beidou satellite navigation system, American GPS, Russian GLONASS and EU Galileo are the suppliers recognized by the United Nations Satellite Navigation Committee.

Beidou satellite navigation system consists of three parts: space segment, ground segment and user segment. It can provide high-precision and high-reliability positioning, navigation and timing services for all kinds of users around the world, and has the ability of short message communication. It has initially possessed the ability of regional navigation, positioning and timing, with positioning accuracy of10m, speed measurement accuracy of 0.2m/s and timing accuracy of10ns.