Phys.org  August 6, 2024 China says it launched a rocket Tuesday carrying a constellation of a reported 18 satellites as part of efforts to assert its presence in space. The satellites were carried aboard a Long March-6 carrier rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China’s Shanxi Province early on Tuesday afternoon. It has also launched the Beidou System of satellites for national security, communications and scientific purposes, seen as an alternative—or possible competitor—to the GPS system widely used for navigation that is mainly helmed by the United States… read more.