"The two satellites are also the 18th and 19th of the Beidou-3 series, third generation of Beidou," said Yang Changfeng, chief designer of the Beidou satellite system.

"Working with 17 other Beidou-3 satellites already in orbit, the basic satellite constellation of Beidou-3 will finish its establishment by year's end," he said. "By then, the network will provide basic navigation service for countries or regions participating in the Belt and Road initiative."

The Beidou network, mainly constructed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, is one of the four global space-based navigation networks along with the United States' GPS, Russia's GLONASS and European Union's Galileo.