Thales Alenia space satellite lifted into orbit for ESA’s Celeste mission to test next-gen navigation from LEO
New Delhi, March 30. Two satellites for the European Space Agency’s Celeste in-orbit demonstration mission were successfully launched at 10:14 CET (2:44 pm IST) aboard a Rocket Lab Electron from New Zealand, marking the start of a crucial phase in Europe’s efforts to redefine satellite navigation.
The spacecraft separated from the launcher roughly an hour after liftoff and have now entered their early operations phase, during which mission teams prepare them for sustained service in orbit.
One of the satellites, named IOD-2, has been built by Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture between Thales and Leonardo.
A compact testbed for future navigation satellites
IOD-2 is a CubeSat about the size of a suitcase, weighing around 30 kg. Despite its small form factor, it will play a pivotal role in validating the system architecture of the Celeste mission. The satellite will enable early signal transmission tests and demonstrate core technologies that will be used in future Celeste spacecraft.
Thales Alenia Space is currently developing four additional in-orbit demonstration (IOD) satellites for the programme. These will be roughly twice the mass of IOD-2 and equipped with expanded payloads to test innovative multi-frequency signals and new service capabilities. Additional launches planned from 2026 onward will complete the Celeste demonstrator fleet, allowing ESA to evaluate how a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) navigation layer can operate alongside Galileo and other Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) navigation systems.
Building a more resilient navigation architecture
The Celeste mission, led by European Space Agency, is currently in its in-orbit demonstration phase. This stage will involve a constellation of 11 microsatellites in LEO, built by two European prime contractors, including five satellites from Thales Alenia Space.
The aim is to demonstrate how LEO-based Precise Navigation and Timing (LEO-PNT) can enhance both the resilience and performance of existing and future MEO navigation services. By combining satellites across multiple orbital layers, ESA hopes to achieve centimetre-level positioning accuracy, improved resistance to jamming and spoofing, faster signal acquisition, and significantly reduced latency.
Enabling next-generation applications
ESA expects Celeste’s multi-orbit architecture to unlock new capabilities for sectors that demand highly reliable positioning. These include autonomous vehicles operating in dense urban environments, Internet of Things (IoT) applications, unmanned aerial and maritime systems, and services in challenging conditions such as urban canyons, dense foliage, polar regions and even indoor settings. The system is also expected to support synchronisation needs for terrestrial 5G and 6G telecom networks.
Herve Derrey, President and CEO of Thales Alenia Space, described the launch as a landmark moment for European satellite navigation. He said the growing demand for high-precision positioning requires systems like Galileo to be complemented by multi-frequency satellites in low Earth orbit, adding that the Celeste programme opens new technological and export opportunities while laying the groundwork for future navigation services that prioritise robustness, integrity and performance.
