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The BeiDou Navigation System is a project of China to develop an independent satellite navigation system. It may refer to either one or both generations of the Chinese navigation system.
The first BeiDou system, officially called BeiDou Satellite Navigation Experimental System, or known as BeiDou-1, consists of three satellites and offers limited coverage and applications. It has been offering navigation services, mainly for customers in China and neighboring regions, since 2000.
The second generation of the system, known as Compass or BeiDou-2, which will be a global satellite navigation system consisting of 35 satellites, is still under construction as of May 2012. It became operational in China in December 2011, with 10 satellites in use. It is planned to offer services to customers in the Asia-Pacific region by 2012, and to global customers upon its completion in 2020.
The BeiDou Navigation System is sometimes named BDS.
