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Celeste (LEO-PNT)

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Celeste

Operator European Space Agency
Constellation size
Nominal satellites10 (plus 2 spares)
Current usable satellites2
First launch28 March 2026, 9:14 UTC
Last launchNET 2027
Orbital characteristics
Orbital height510 km (320 mi)
WebsiteLEO-PNT at ESA.int

Celeste (Italian pronunciation: [tʃeˈlɛste])[1] is a Low Earth orbit Positioning Navigation Timing (LEO-PNT)[2] 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.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] The first two satellites were launched in March 2026.[15][16][17][18][19][20][21] Celeste was named after Maria Celeste, a 17th-century Poor Clares nun and a daughter of Galileo Galilei.[4]

Timeline

[edit]

First two satellites (IOD1-2, Pathfinder A type), in the form of large CubeSats,[5] one 12U and one 16U,[22][23] were launched on 28 March 2026[15][24][22][16][25][21] on a Rocket Lab's Electron launch vehicle's flight "Daughter Of The Stars"[26] from Launch Complex 1 on Māhia Peninsula, New Zealand[20] to a quasi-polar orbit.[7] This was Rocket Lab's first launch for ESA.[1]

In early April 2026, the two spacecraft completed their LEOP and on 8 April 2026, ESTEC received the first navigation signal from the Celeste mission.[27] On 16 April 2026, IOD-2 sent its first dual-frequency navigation signals in the L- and S-band.[28] On 27 August 2026, ESA successfully demonstrated the transmission and reception of 3GPP-compliant 5G positioning signals from the IOD-2 satellite.[29]

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.[5][7][30]

Satellites

[edit]
Celeste satellites
Satellite COSPAR ID Satellite bus Manufacturer Launch date Launch vehicle Launch site
IOD-1[31][32] 2026-065A[33] 12U CubeSat GMV, OHB
  • 1st attempt: 25 March 2026 (postponed due to weather)[34][35]
 Rocket Lab Electron Mahia, LC-1A
IOD-2[31][39] 2026-065B[40] 16U CubeSat Thales Alenia Space

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 Rocket Lab - 'Daughter Of The Stars' Launch. Retrieved 28 March 2026 – via www.youtube.com.
  2. ↑ "LEO PNT: A Fundamental Evolution to Answer New Application Needs". Inside GNSS. 4 June 2025. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. 1 2 "Galileo 'daughter mission' name revealed: Celeste". ESA.int. European Space Agency. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 "ESA's LEO-PNT satellites set to launch by end of year". ESA.int. European Space Agency. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  6. ↑ "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.
  7. 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.
  8. ↑ Khalil, Jesse (1 April 2024). "ESA invests €233 million to launch Genesis and LEO-PNT missions". GPS World. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  9. ↑ Foust, Jeff (20 March 2024). "ESA awards three contracts for satellite navigation missions". SpaceNews.
  10. ↑ "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.
  11. ↑ 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.
  12. ↑ Parsonson, Andrew (20 March 2024). "ESA Awards €233M for Three Navigation Satellites". European Spaceflight. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ "Celeste, la nueva misión de ESA para reforzar la navegación por satélite en órbita baja". Actualidad Aeroespacial (in Spanish). 4 September 2025. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  15. 1 2 3 "Celeste liftoff". www.esa.int. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  16. 1 2 "European satellite navigation opens new chapter at ESA's Ministerial Council". esa.int. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  17. ↑ "Rocket Lab to launch Electron mission for ESA's next-generation navigation system". SatNews. 27 June 2025. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  18. ↑ 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.
  19. ↑ "Rocket Lab to Launch Electron Mission for European Space Agency's Next-Generation Navigation System" (Press release). Business Wire. 25 June 2025.
  20. 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.
  21. 1 2 3 "Celeste's first satellites launched to explore LEO-based satellite navigation". www.esa.int. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  22. 1 2 "ESA's Celeste target launch date confirmed". esa.int. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  23. ↑ "Testing GMV's Celeste In-Orbit Demonstration CubeSat in an anechoic chamber". esa.int. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  24. ↑ Maglione, Mariasole (28 March 2026). "In orbita i primi due satelliti della rete CELESTE LEO-PNT dell'ESA, con un razzo Electron". AstroSpace (in Italian). Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  25. ↑ "CELESTE pre-launch media briefing". esa.int. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  26. ↑ "Daughter Of The Stars | Electron/Curie | Next Spaceflight". nextspaceflight.com. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  27. ↑ "ESA's Celeste broadcasts first navigation signal from low Earth orbit". www.esa.int. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  28. ↑ Good morning Celeste, we hear you loud and clear!
  29. ↑ "ESA's Celeste demonstrates 5G positioning signals from low Earth orbit". www.esa.int. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  30. ↑ Piccin, Stefano (12 March 2026). "Pronti al lancio i primi due satelliti della rete CELESTE LEO-PNT dell'ESA". AstroSpace (in Italian). Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  31. 1 2 "Follow the Celeste launch campaign". esa.int. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  32. ↑ "Celeste is ready to fly! | GMV". www.gmv.com. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  33. ↑ "Celeste IOD-1, 11 (LPTNSAT 001, LEO-PNT Pathfinder A 1, 11)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  34. ↑ "Celeste: Countdown to Launch 1". www.esa.int. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  35. ↑ Update: Celeste LEO‑PNT inaugural launch postponed due to adverse weather; new date to follow.
  36. ↑ Gatti, Emma (30 March 2026). "ESA launches first Celeste satellites to test complementary LEO navigation layer". SpaceNews. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
  37. ↑ "Daughter Of The Stars | Electron/Curie | Next Spaceflight". nextspaceflight.com. Archived from the original on 26 March 2026. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  38. ↑ Maglione, Mariasole (28 March 2026). "In orbita i primi due satelliti della rete CELESTE LEO-PNT dell'ESA, con un razzo Electron". AstroSpace (in Italian). Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  39. ↑ "Fair Winds to Thales Alenia Space's First Celeste Demonstrator Satellite | Thales Alenia Space". www.thalesaleniaspace.com. 20 February 2026. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  40. ↑ "Celeste IOD-2, 12 (LPTNSAT 002, LEO-PNT Pathfinder A 2, 12)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
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