ESA Satellite navigation

The European Space Agency (ESA) leads the design, development, qualification and R&D of flagship EU Space programmes Galileo and EGNOS. It also implements satellite navigation programmes focused on innovation, competitiveness and in-orbit demonstrations, with ESA optional programmes NAVISP, FutureNAV, Celeste (LEO-PNT), Genesis and Moonlight.

Do you want to join us in shaping the future of European satellite navigation? From contracts, workshops and industry events to education activities, discover below all the ways you can engage with ESA Navigation, whether you are an European citizen, independent professional or a student.

ESA’s OpSTAR (Optical Synchronised Time And Ranging) In-Orbit Demonstrator mission will showcase how optical technologies can reshape the architecture of satellite navigation, enable greater accuracy and strengthen resilience against threats such as jamming and spoofing.

From 22-26 June, 30 university students from Europe and Canada came together at the European Space Agency (ESA) Academy’s Training and Learning Facility in Belgium to explore the fundamentals of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS). The course prepared the next generation of navigation professionals with lectures from experts and hands-on exercises where students applied their new knowledge.

From 22-26 June 2026, 30 university students from Europe and Canada came together at the European Space Agency (ESA) Academy’s Training and Learning Facility in Belgium to explore the fundamentals of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS). This annual course prepares the next generation of navigation professionals with lectures from experts and hands-on exercises where students can apply their new knowledge. In this video, students and lecturers from the 2026 edition of the training course talk about the importance of satellite navigation, including Europe’s Galileo system, in their own words. 

In April, Galileo marked a step forward with the deployment of a new signal component, known as E5a Quasi Pilot, on 12 satellites of Europe’s satellite navigation constellation. This upgrade makes Galileo signals easier to access, particularly on emerging mass-market, low-power devices used for Internet of Things and smart city applications.

On 14-15 October, the European Space Agency (ESA) will host the NAVISP Industry Days in Rome, Italy, bringing together the European PNT academic and industrial community to explore the latest opportunities and advancements in Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) technologies.

The second generation of Galileo, Europe’s satellite navigation constellation, is being built. These satellites will feature reconfigurable payloads, provide more robust and reliable positioning, navigation and timing, enable new services and add new capabilities to the constellation.

One of these capabilities, intersatellite links, will allow the satellites to communicate with one another in orbit. After going through extensive testing, the intersatellite link antennas are ready to be integrated into the satellites.

In May, the European Space Agency (ESA) joined the Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding of the United Nations Global Geodetic Centre of Excellence (UN-GGCE). This initiative aims to strengthen the global geodesy supply chain and promote international cooperation to produce reliable geodetic products, which are essential for many satellite applications, including positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services.

At 10:14 CET on 28 March, the first two satellites of ESA’s Celeste LEO-PNT in-orbit demonstration mission lifted off aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Māhia, New Zealand.

Celeste is Europe’s first initiative to bring satellite navigation into low Earth orbit (LEO). By testing next-generation technologies and new frequency bands, it will help shape the future of positioning, navigation and timing services.

Flying closer to Earth, Celeste will demonstrate how a complementary LEO layer can strengthen Europe’s Galileo system in medium Earth orbit — improving resilience, enhancing performance and enabling new services.

On 25 March, the first two satellites of the Celeste in-orbit demonstration mission will lift off aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket from the company’s Māhia Launch Complex in New Zealand.

Celeste will play a pioneering role in elevating the future of Europe’s satellite navigation capabilities.

As ESA’s initiative for satellite navigation in low Earth orbit (LEO-PNT), the mission will be testing next-generation technologies and add new frequency bands for satellite navigation to inform the deployment of a future European operational navigation system in low Earth orbit. 

The mission will begin with two demonstrator satellites, IOD1-2, to secure and test the assigned frequency filings and transmit representative navigation signals until the end of the year.

The two satellites consist of two CubeSats (12U and 16U respectively), both developed by two consortia composed by a wide set of European players, one led by GMV (Spain) and the other led by Thales Alenia Space (France).

Learn more about Celeste: https://www.esa.int/Celeste/