Celeste (LEO-PNT)

Last updated

Celeste
Operator(s) European Space Agency
StatusPreparing for 1st launch
Constellation size
Nominal satellites10 (plus 2 spares)
Current usable satellites0
First launchNET December 2025
Last launchNET 2027
Orbital characteristics
Orbital height510 km (320 mi)
Website LEO-PNT at ESA.int

Celeste is a future Low Earth orbit Positioning Navigation Timing (LEO-PNT) [1] satellite constellation by the European Space Agency (ESA) intended to demonstrate the usefulness of LEO satellites for complementing and enhancing the services of higher orbit systems like Galileo or EGNOS. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Launch of the first two satellites is planned for late 2025. [11] [12] [13] [14]

Contents

Name

Celeste was named after Maria Celeste, a 17th century Poor Clares nun and a daughter of Galileo Galilei. [2]

Launches

First two satellites (Pathfinder A type), in the form of large CubeSats, [3] will be launched in December 2025 on a Rocket Lab's Electron launch vehicle from Launch Complex 1 on Māhia Peninsula, New Zealand [14] to a quasi-polar orbit. [5] Later, eight of the larger and more complex Pathfinder B satellites will be launched to similar orbits. The entire constellation of 10 satellites is planned to be completed in 2027. [3] [5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "LEO PNT: A Fundamental Evolution to Answer New Application Needs". Inside GNSS. 4 June 2025. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Galileo 'daughter mission' name revealed: Celeste". ESA.int. European Space Agency. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 "ESA's LEO-PNT satellites set to launch by end of year". ESA.int. European Space Agency. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  4. ↑ "Thales Alenia Space won European Space Agency's one of two LEO-PNT Orbit Demonstrators". Thales Alenia Space. 19 March 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 An Overview of ESA's LEO-PNT In Orbit Demonstration Mission. International Technical Meeting. January 27 - 30, 2025. Long Beach, CA. 28 January 2025.
  6. ↑ Khalil, Jesse (1 April 2024). "ESA invests €233 million to launch Genesis and LEO-PNT missions". GPS World. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  7. ↑ Foust, Jeff (20 March 2024). "ESA awards three contracts for satellite navigation missions". SpaceNews.
  8. ↑ "ESA's LEO-PNT IoD, a small constellation showcasing the interest of a Low Earth Orbit layer as part of GNSS System of System". SmallSat Europe. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  9. ↑ de Selding, Peter B. (12 April 2024). "US, Europe Testing LEO Navigation Technologies, but Don't Call them GNSS 'Alternatives'". Space Intel Report – via Kratos Space.
  10. ↑ Parsonson, Andrew (20 March 2024). "ESA Awards €233M for Three Navigation Satellites". European Spaceflight. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  11. ↑ "Rocket Lab to launch Electron mission for ESA's next-generation navigation system". SatNews. 27 June 2025. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  12. ↑ Wall, Robert (26 June 2025). "Rocket Lab To Launch ESA Low-Earth-Orbit PNT Spacecraft With Electron". Aviation Week & Space Technology. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  13. ↑ "Rocket Lab to Launch Electron Mission for European Space Agency's Next-Generation Navigation System" (Press release). Business Wire. 25 June 2025.
  14. 1 2 Khalil, Jesse (8 September 2025). "ESA's Celeste LEO-PNT demonstrator mission set to launch in December". GPS World. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.