中國的驕傲——北斗衛(wèi)星導航系統(tǒng)

Many years ago, people relied on the sun, moon and stars to find their way around. Later, the compass was introduced. And now, we have satellite navigation (satnav) systems to guide us.

遙遠的古代，人們依靠太陽、月亮和星星來辨別方向。后來，羅盤被發(fā)明了出來。而如今，我們有了衛(wèi)星導航系統(tǒng)。

A satnav system uses groups of satellites to show the user’s location. They send information to a receiver, such as a smartphone, to show us where we are.

衛(wèi)星導航系統(tǒng)借助一系列衛(wèi)星來定位用戶的位置。這些衛(wèi)星將信息發(fā)送到智能手機等接收器上，從而顯示我們所處的位置。

The earliest built satnav system is the Global Positioning System (GPS), which belongs to the US. Then there is Russia’s Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), the European Union’s Galileo and China’s own satellite navigation system, BeiDou.

美國的全球定位系統(tǒng)是最早建成的衛(wèi)星導航系統(tǒng)。緊隨其后的是俄羅斯的全球?qū)Ш叫l(wèi)星系統(tǒng)、歐盟的伽利略定位系統(tǒng)以及中國自主研發(fā)的北斗導航系統(tǒng)。

On Oct 14, an ARJ21-700 plane, which was the first domestically-produced (國產(chǎn)的) jet to be equipped with the BeiDou navigation system, successfully completed a test flight.

10月14日，首架配備了北斗衛(wèi)星導航系統(tǒng)的國產(chǎn)噴氣式飛機ARJ21-700成功地完成了一次試飛。

The results showed the performance of the system developed by China matches that of similar systems produced abroad, according to the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China.

中國商用飛機有限責任公司表示，結(jié)果表明，中國研發(fā)的衛(wèi)星導航系統(tǒng)和國外制作的類似系統(tǒng)在性能方面基本一致。

Since its introduction in 2000, the BeiDou navigation system has seen increasing numbers of applications linked to everyday life, from shared bikes to farming.

自2000年投入使用以來，北斗衛(wèi)星導航系統(tǒng)在日常生活中的應用越來越多，從共享單車到農(nóng)田耕作等等。

When it comes to shared bikes, smart locks that support BeiDou chips offer more accurate positioning than others, making it easier to find a bike.

共享單車上的智能鎖內(nèi)設有支持北斗系統(tǒng)的芯片。和其他智能鎖相比，這種鎖能提供更準確的定位，讓人們更容易地找到自行車。

Farmers can use BeiDou-enabled tractors to plow (犁耕) the soil, and drones (無人機) using BeiDou to sow seeds, which can boost (提高) efficiency and make better use of resources. BeiDou’s farming applications have spread from Heilongjiang province to Beijing, Liaoning, Shanxi, Hubei and other regions across China.

農(nóng)民們能夠使用配有北斗導航系統(tǒng)的拖拉機和無人機進行耕地播種，在提高效率的同時也更好地利用了資源。北斗系統(tǒng)在農(nóng)業(yè)上的應用已經(jīng)從黑龍江擴展到了北京、遼寧、山西、湖北以及我國大江南北的其他地區(qū)。

With its many uses, the BeiDou navigation system is even playing a big role in the Belt and Road Initiative. “To date, the Beidousystem has covered most parts of the Asia-Pacific region, as well as countries along the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road,” said Yang Changfeng, chief designer of the BeiDou system

. 北斗導航系統(tǒng)的用途眾多，甚至還在“一帶一路”倡議中發(fā)揮著重要的作用。“到目前為止，北斗系統(tǒng)已經(jīng)覆蓋了絕大部分亞太地區(qū)，以及絲綢之路經(jīng)濟帶和21世紀海上絲綢之路沿線國家，”北斗系統(tǒng)總設計師楊長風表示。

Today, there are more than 20 BeiDou satellites above our heads, and China plans to launch up to eight more this year to expand the BeiDou network to better serve the Belt and Road Initiative.

如今，已有20多顆北斗衛(wèi)星在我們上空運轉(zhuǎn)，中國今年還計劃發(fā)射8顆衛(wèi)星以擴大北斗系統(tǒng)網(wǎng)絡，使其更好地為“一帶一路”倡議服務。

“As BeiDou expands its overseas reach, it will be increasingly popular in the logistics (物流) industry,” said Miao Qianjun, secretary-general of the navigation services association.

“隨著北斗系統(tǒng)不斷擴展其海外服務區(qū)域，它將在物流行業(yè)日益普及，”中國衛(wèi)星導航定位協(xié)會秘書長苗前軍表示。

“Ships, for instance, can use it to position themselves while sailing across oceans to European countries, no longer limited to Southeast Asian regions.”

“比如，船只在航行至歐洲國家的途中可以用北斗系統(tǒng)對自身進行定位，而不只是局限于東南亞地區(qū)。”