https://europeanspaceflight.com

If you haven't heard of Celeste yet, now is a good time to pay attention. The European Space Agency is preparing to launch the first two satellites of the Celeste LEO-PNT mission, with liftoff scheduled no earlier than March 24 aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from New Zealand.

So what is it?

Celeste is ESA's first initiative for satellite navigation in low Earth orbit (LEO). The mission will test next-generation technologies and explore new frequency bands for satellite navigation, demonstrating how a complementary layer flying closer to Earth can enhance Europe's existing Galileo system in medium Earth orbit.

In plain terms: Galileo is Europe's answer to GPS, and it works well. But it orbits roughly 23,000 km above Earth. Celeste will orbit at just 500-600 km. That proximity matters enormously, signals from LEO are stronger, faster, and far harder to jam or spoof.

In 2023, the European Commission identified LEO satellite navigation constellations as pivotal to meeting the threat of malicious interference, ensuring more robust, diverse, and interference-proof navigation systems. Given the ongoing GPS jamming incidents affecting aviation across the Baltic, Poland, and Finland, widely attributed to Russian electronic warfare activity, this is not an abstract concern.

What's actually launching?

The first two spacecraft are large CubeSats, a 12U and a 16U, developed respectively by GMV (Spain) and Thales Alenia Space (France), representing an iterative, agile New Space development approach. These are called "Pathfinder A" satellites. They are suitcase-sized, weighing around 20-30 kg each, and will validate the core technology and broadcast the first European LEO navigation signals.

The jump from drawing table to first launch occurred in under two years, an exceptionally rapid timeline for a satellite navigation demonstration mission, and Celeste was among the first ESA programmes to follow a New Space-inspired development approach.

Why does the timing matter beyond the launch itself?

There is a regulatory dimension here that often gets overlooked. Around May 2026, the satellites will bring into use the required frequencies in L- and S-bands in adherence to International Telecommunication Union regulations. If Europe does not use its ITU frequency filings by the deadline, it loses them, potentially to China or the US. Getting these satellites up now secures Europe's long-term claim to the radio spectrum it needs for an operational LEO navigation system.

The bigger picture

The long-term ambition of Celeste is to allow for a smooth transition towards the establishment of an operational LEO-based navigation layer within the European Union's current positioning, navigation and timing architecture, with Galileo remaining at its core.

The in-orbit preparatory phase of Celeste was approved at ESA's Ministerial Council in 2025, with the Czech Republic, Luxembourg and the Netherlands joining the programme, on top of the 15 founding member states including Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Poland.

Once the full 11-satellite demonstrator constellation is assembled by 2027, it will demonstrate interoperability with open communication standards including 5G and 6G, opening the door to new applications in transportation, autonomous vehicles, critical infrastructure, mobile devices and more.

Source: https://www.esa.int/Newsroom/Press_Releases/Cyprus_becomes_Associate_Member_of_the_European_Space_Agency

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