China launches final satellite of navigation system

China on Tuesday launched the final satellite in its Beidou constellation that emulates the U.S. Global Positioning System, marking a further step in the country's advance as a major space power.

CCTV footage showed the launch of the satellite onboard a Long March-3 rocket was broadcast live from the satellite launch base of Xichang, deep in the mountains of southwestern China, shortly before 10 a.m.

An initial launch scheduled for last week was scrubbed after checks revealed unspecified technical problems.

The third iteration of the Beidou Navigation Satellite System promises to provide global coverage for timing and navigation, offering an alternative to Russia's GLONASS and the European Galileo systems, as well as America's GPS.

The first version of Beidou, meaning "Big Dipper," was decommissioned in 2012.

Future plans call for a smarter, more accessible and more integrated system with Beidou at its core, to come online by 2035.