Celeste (LEO-PNT)

Last updated

Celeste
Operator ESA
StatusPreparing for 1st launch
Constellation size
Nominal satellites10 (plus 2 spares)
Current usable satellites0
First launchNET 24 March 2026
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] [11] [12] [13] Launch of the first two satellites is planned for early 2026. [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] Celeste was named after Maria Celeste, a 17th century Poor Clares nun and a daughter of Galileo Galilei. [3]

Contents

Satellites

First two satellites (IOD1-2, Pathfinder A type), in the form of large CubeSats, [4] one 12U and one 16U, [19] [20] will be launched no earlier than 24 March 2026 [19] [14] on a Rocket Lab's Electron launch vehicle's flight "Daughter Of The Stars" [21] from Launch Complex 1 on Māhia Peninsula, New Zealand [18] to a quasi-polar orbit. [6]

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. [4] [6]

Celeste satellites
Satellite COSPAR ID Satellite bus Launch dateLaunch vehicleManufacturer
IOD-1 [22] [23] TBA12U CubeSat 24 March 2026 (planned) Rocket Lab Electron GMV, OHB
IOD-2 [22] [24] TBA16U CubeSat Thales Alenia Space

See also

References

  1. ↑ "LEO PNT: A Fundamental Evolution to Answer New Application Needs". Inside GNSS. 4 June 2025. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  2. ↑ Cerdeira, R. Prieto; Giordano, P.; Cordero, M.; Grec, F.; Le Priellec, A.; Sarnadas, R.; Breeuwer, E.; Ait-Mohammed, N.; Anghileri, M. (1 October 2025). "Enhancing GNSS with a Low Earth Orbit layer: Celeste In-Orbit Demonstration Mission". Proceedings of the 38th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of the Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS+ 2025). pp. 2322–2331. doi:10.33012/2025.20324. ISBN   978-0-936406-42-8.
  3. 1 2 "Galileo 'daughter mission' name revealed: Celeste". ESA.int. European Space Agency. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 "ESA's LEO-PNT satellites set to launch by end of year". ESA.int. European Space Agency. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  5. ↑ "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.
  6. 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.
  7. ↑ Khalil, Jesse (1 April 2024). "ESA invests €233 million to launch Genesis and LEO-PNT missions". GPS World. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  8. ↑ Foust, Jeff (20 March 2024). "ESA awards three contracts for satellite navigation missions". SpaceNews.
  9. ↑ "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.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ Parsonson, Andrew (20 March 2024). "ESA Awards €233M for Three Navigation Satellites". European Spaceflight. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  12. ↑ Ries, Lionel; Limon, Miguel Cordero; Grec, Florin-Catalin; Anghileri, Marco; Prieto-Cerdeira, Roberto; Abel, Felix; Miguez, Javier; Perello-Gisbert, Jose Vicente; D'Addio, Salvatore; Ioannidis, Rigas; Ostillio, Alessandra; Rapisarda, Manuela; Sarnadas, Rui; Testani, Paride (24 April 2023). "LEO-PNT for Augmenting Europe's Space-based PNT Capabilities". 2023 IEEE/ION Position, Location and Navigation Symposium (PLANS). IEEE. pp. 329–337. doi:10.1109/PLANS53410.2023.10139999. ISBN   978-1-6654-1772-3.
  13. ↑ Aeroespacial, Actualidad (4 September 2025). "Celeste, la nueva misión de ESA para reforzar la navegación por satélite en órbita baja". Actualidad Aeroespacial (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  14. 1 2 "European satellite navigation opens new chapter at ESA's Ministerial Council". www.esa.int. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  15. ↑ "Rocket Lab to launch Electron mission for ESA's next-generation navigation system". SatNews. 27 June 2025. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  16. ↑ 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.
  17. ↑ "Rocket Lab to Launch Electron Mission for European Space Agency's Next-Generation Navigation System" (Press release). Business Wire. 25 June 2025.
  18. 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.
  19. 1 2 "ESA's Celeste target launch date confirmed". www.esa.int. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  20. ↑ "Testing GMV's Celeste In-Orbit Demonstration CubeSat in an anechoic chamber". www.esa.int. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  21. ↑ "Daughter Of The Stars | Electron/Curie | Next Spaceflight". nextspaceflight.com. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  22. 1 2 "Follow the Celeste launch campaign". www.esa.int. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  23. ↑ "Celeste is ready to fly! | GMV". www.gmv.com. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  24. ↑ "Fair Winds to Thales Alenia Space's First Celeste Demonstrator Satellite | Thales Alenia Space". www.thalesaleniaspace.com. 20 February 2026. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
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.