When will it begin to serve globally?
upon its completion in 2020
What is the BDS?
a Chinese satellite navigation system.
What is BDS an acronym for?
BeiDou Navigation Satellite System
What's the name in traditional Chinese?
北斗衛星導航系統
What is the English translation of the Chinese characters?
The English transliteration is Běidǒu wèixīng dǎoháng xìtǒng
How many constellations are there?
Two.
When did the limited constellation start working?
2000
Is the full system working?
No.
Why not?
It is under construction.
Which one was first operational?
The BeiDou Satellite Navigation Experimental System
How many satellites?
Three
Did it have full coverage?
No.
Who were it's main clients?
customers in China and neighboring regions
What was the second one called?
The BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), also known as COMPASS or BeiDou-2
Will it have a lot of satellites?
If 35 is a lot, then yes.
When did they start building?
January 2015
How many satellites were up in 2011?
10
Who did those serve?
China
Where else?
Customers in the Asia-Pacific region, but not in 2011
Are there plans for global service?
Yes.