BEIJING, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- The following are the highlights of China's science news from the past week:

NEW BEIDOU SATELLITES

China successfully sent two satellites of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) into space from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province at 5:10 a.m. on Sept. 23.

Launched on a Long March-3B carrier rocket, the two satellites entered orbit. They are the 47th and 48th satellites of the BDS satellite family.

BEIJING SWIFTS

A recent survey has found that more Beijing Swift nests are located in modern buildings, such as flyovers, with no particular preference for ancient architecture as before, indicating that the birds are gradually adapting to urbanization.

The Beijing Swift is an iconic bird synonymous with the capital city since ancient times. The migratory birds were usually found nesting in high buildings with eaves such as city gatehouses and imperial garden buildings. They can be seen at the Forbidden City, the Lama Temple and the Summer Palace from mid-April to July every year.

SPALLATION NEUTRON SOURCE

The China Spallation Neutron Source, located in Dongguan City, south China's Guangdong Province, began a new round of user operation on Sept. 26, with 57 experiments on new materials to be conducted in the next four months.

These experiment proposals, including one applied by a foreign user and five from Hong Kong and Macao users, mainly involve magnetic materials, quantum materials, lithium battery materials, shale, catalytic materials, high-strength steel and high-performance alloys.

FACILITY FOR HIGH-ENERGY PHYSICS RESEARCH

The construction of a key facility to support the Southern Advanced Photon Source (SAPS) started on Sept. 25 in Dongguan, southern China's Guangdong Province.

The new facility will serve as a test platform for the research and development of the SAPS, a high-energy physics research project that the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Guangdong Provincial government agreed to build near China Spallation Neutron Source, the country's first and the world's fourth pulsed spallation neutron source.

AIR POLLUTION MONITORING

Chinese scientists have developed an integrated system to conduct comprehensive monitoring of air pollution in offshore areas, according to the Chinese Academy of Science.

The system is comprised of more than 30 monitoring devices including detection laser radar, in-situ detection sensor for carbon dioxide and aerosol particle spectrometer. It has been installed in the offshore area in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province for a one-month test. It will help obtain meteorological parameters and distribution characteristics of major pollutants in Shenzhen's offshore area. Enditem

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