How China Is Threatening U.S. GPS Dominance

For decades, the United States has been a leader in satellite navigation technology. The U.S. Global Positioning System, or GPS as most of us know it, was originally designed as a military tool, but has also become indispensable in the lives of civilians, with over 6 billion users around the world. But the U.S. is not the only country with its own global navigation satellite system. Russia has GLONASS and the European Union has Galileo. In 2020, China launched the last satellite needed to complete its own global system called Beidou, which translates to “Big Dipper” in English. Since then, the influence of Beidou has grown, with an estimated 1.1 billion people now using the system. Experts say Beidou underpins not only China’s military ambitions, but is also spurring economic growth in the country and increasing its diplomatic leverage. Chapters: 00:00 — Introduction 02:20 — GPS vs. Beidou 06:20 — Challenging GPS 09:47 — GPS modernization Produced by: Magdalena Petrova Camera: Lucas Mullikin Graphics: Christina Locopo, Andrea Schmitz Supervising Producer: Jeniece Pettitt Additional footage: U.S. Space Force, Lockheed Martin Additional sources: Federal Aviation Administration » Subscribe to CNBC:  » Subscribe to CNBC TV:  About CNBC: From 'Wall Street' to 'Main Street' to award winning original documentaries and Reality TV series, CNBC has you covered. Experience special sneak peeks of your favorite shows, exclusive video and more. Connect with CNBC News Online Get the latest news:  Follow CNBC on LinkedIn:  Follow CNBC News on Facebook:  Follow CNBC News on Twitter:  Follow CNBC News on Instagram:  #CNBC How China Is Threatening U.S. GPS Dominance