Trimble, represented by Trimble Australia , and the China Aerospace Science and Industry Academy of Information Technology (CASIC-IT) have announced that they have signed a definitive agreement to form a joint venture in China. The agreement was signed at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China.
The joint venture, 50% owned by Trimble and 50% owned by CASIC-IT, will combine the commercial expertise, knowledge and technologies of both CASIC-IT and Trimble to develop, manufacture and distribute Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers and systems in China. Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers and systems are based on the Chinese Compass satellite system and meant for civil applications in the commercial positioning, navigation and timing markets.
The joint venture will be based in Beijing, China and is expected to begin operations after regulatory approval from the Chinese government.
China completed its second launch of a Compass G2 satellite. The system is expected to provide regional availability over China in the 2010 timeframe, and provide an independent worldwide positioning system constellation of 30 satellites by 2020. The Compass system can be used in conjunction with the existing and planned satellite positioning systems, including GPS, GLONASS and Galileo.