The Beidou satellite will use on-board propulsion to raise its perigee altitude to nearly 22,300 miles in the coming weeks. The craft will also maneuver into a higher-inclination orbit that allows it to move between 55 degrees north and south latitude during each 24-hour loop around the planet, a geosynchronous perch that matches the speed of Earth’s rotation. China’s Beidou fleet is analogous to the U.S. military’s Global Positioning System network, and the Russian Glonass and European Galileo navigation systems. The Beidou program will give China an independent source of positioning and timing services for military and civilian users.