Rocket Lab to Launch Electron Mission for European Space Agency’s Next-Generation Navigation SystemJune 25, 2025Rocket Lab Corporation (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or the “Company”), a global leader in launch services and space systems, today announced it has been selected to launch a dedicated Electron mission for the European Space Agency (“ESA”) for the first time, to deploy the first pair of satellites for a future navigation constellation for Europe, LEO-PNT. Rocket Lab will launch two “Pathfinder A” spacecraft for ESA, provided by European satellite prime contractors Thales Alenia Space and GMV, from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 no earlier than December 2025.The spacecraft will be deployed to a 510km low Earth orbit as part of a mission to test a new approach of providing location, direction, and timing services from satellites in low orbit – otherwise called LEO-PNT (Low Earth Orbit Positioning, Navigation, and Timing). ESA’s LEO-PNT demonstration mission will assess how a low Earth orbit fleet of satellites can work in combination with the Galileo and EGNOS constellations in higher orbits that provide Europe’s own global navigation system.[...]
ESA’s LEO-PNT satellites set to launch by end of year25/06/2025The European Space Agency (ESA) confirms the launch of the first two LEO-PNT satellites is planned from second half of December 2025, on a Rocket Lab Electron launcher vehicle, from New Zealand. The LEO-PNT in-orbit demonstrator mission is a pioneer mission for Europe that will advance satellite navigation concepts for resilient positioning and timing services.Approved at the ESA Council at Ministerial Level in 2022, ESA’s LEO-PNT (Low Earth Orbit Positioning Navigation and Timing) in-orbit demonstrator mission has been established to test the potential of a satellite navigation system in low Earth orbit and its contribution to a multi-layer navigation system.A 10-satellite constellation is being developed under two parallel contracts with GMV (Spain) and Thales Alenia Space (France) as prime contractors. The first two satellites of this constellation (one Pathfinder A per contract) have now secured a ride to low Earth orbit before the end of this year.The launch agreement between ESA, GMV, Thales Alenia Space and launch provider Rocket Lab was necessary to meet the scheduling requirements of the demonstrator mission. The dedicated launch with the Electron rocket will bring both satellites to their orbit at 510 km altitude. The satellites will be launched from the company’s site in New Zealand with a three month launch period starting mid-December.[...]
Following the announcement of the upcoming launch of LEO-PNT’s first satellites, ESA has now unveiled the name of the mission. Celeste, as it has been officially designated, will test the potential of a new, low Earth orbit layer of satellites to enhance Galileo’s resilience and complement its capabilities.Over the past three decades, European satellite navigation systems have become integral to our society. Galileo and EGNOS are a huge success today, powering everything from smartphones to critical infrastructure. Now, ESA’s Low Earth Orbit Positioning Navigation Timing (LEO-PNT) mission, Celeste, is working to ensure these systems remain robust, secure and available.Galileo and Celeste, a story of support and resilienceThe name Celeste is a symbolic wink to the scientific past on which satellite navigation is founded. Maria Celeste was Galileo Galilei’s daughter, and the two shared a strong emotional and intellectual bond. She also honoured her father’s love for astronomy. Based on historic letters between father and daughter, we know how much Galileo valued his daughter and trusted her judgement. Now, Celeste becomes the name of ESA’s LEO-PNT mission that will ‘mediate’ between Galileo and the rest of the world. The mission aims to demonstrate in orbit new capabilities for added resilience, representing a new dimension of strength for Europe’s navigation capabilities.Celeste features a constellation of ten satellites that will fly close to Earth to test innovative signals across various frequency bands. The first two Celeste satellites, built in parallel by GMV and Thales Alenia Space, are set to launch in the coming months.
ESA will soon launch the first two Celeste (LEO-PNT) In-Orbit Demonstrator (IOD) satellites to showcase the benefits of low Earth orbit satellites for positioning, navigation and timing (LEO-PNT), adding a powerful new multi-layer dimension to Europe’s satellite navigation. The proposed Celeste (LEO-PNT) In-Orbit Preparatory phase will focus on:maturing enabling technology building blocks (for example, integrated digital and RF modules and antennas, miniaturised clocks),driving industrialisation across Europe to boost future production and reduce cost,validating technologies through in-orbit experimentation.The ultimate objective is to prepare a LEO-PNT future operational system for the European Union that adds a new layer to the European PNT ecosystem, with Galileo at its core.In parallel, the programme aims to open new commercial opportunities worldwide, ultimately boosting innovation and European leadership for future market opportunities.
What comes next?The first two Celeste demonstrator satellites, scheduled to launch early next year, will secure and test the assigned frequencies during a six-month experimentation phase. Following a formal review of the results, ESA foresees to engage user communities and stakeholders in third-party experimentations to test the functionalities and demonstrate services capabilities in representative environments.Now that the funding for the preparatory phase has been secured, a dedicated Industry Day will be organised early next year to showcase the European PNT ecosystem, outline the new opportunities and present the ESA-EU coordinated roadmap. This will be followed by an invitation to tender for this phase’s industrial activities, focusing on the development of enabling technologies, industrialisation efforts, and the deployment of a set of in-orbit validation satellites.
GMV has successfully completed the Flight Readiness key point with the European Space Agency - ESA, marking a major milestone for the #Celeste programme. Selected by ESA to lead one of the two parallel end-to-end Celeste In-Orbit Demonstrators for a LEO-PNT system, GMV has developed the mission’s first satellite together with Alén Space. The 12U CubeSat will pave the way for Europe’s next generation of positioning, navigation, and timing capabilities in Low Earth Orbit. After completing full assembly, integration, and an extensive campaign of environmental and system-level testing, the Flight Readiness review confirmed the maturity of the spacecraft and the readiness of both the satellite and its operations. As part of this milestone, an ESA delegation visited GMV’s facilities to see the fully assembled Celeste IOD-1 in the clean room and the Mission Operations Room from which the satellite will be operated once in orbit. A tangible demonstration that the mission is ready for its next phase.
ACHILLES is part of the Galileo system evolution program, one of whose objectives is to enable European industry to meet upcoming technological challenges, such as the development of new LEO-PNT positioning systems using low-orbit satellites. GMV is leading a LEO-PNT mission that will be transmitted by the Celeste constellation currently under development, the first satellites of which will be launched in the first quarter of 2026.
Gearing up for the first launch of #Celeste! 🛰️ 🌎ESA’s Celeste mission is set to lift off no earlier than 24 March aboard @RocketLab's Electron rocket from New Zealand.As Europe’s first LEO satellite navigation demonstration, Celeste will test next‑gen signals and technologies to complement and enhance #Galileo.🔗 https://www.esa.int/Applications/Satellite_navigation/ESA_s_Celeste_target_launch_date_confirmed@Thales_Alenia_S @infoGMV
The first In-Orbit Demonstrator (IOD-2) satellite of ESA’s Celeste mission (formerly named LEO-PNT) has begun its journey towards launch. Last week, the satellite left the Thales Alenia Space site in L’Aquila, Italy, bound for Berlin, before heading soon to the launch base in New Zealand, marking a major step towards Europe’s next-generation satellite navigation system. From our cleanrooms to the launch pad, this milestone underlines the transition from concept to reality.Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) like Europe’s Galileo have become indispensable — supporting applications in everyday life and helping drive economic growth. They also play a critical role in our safety and security. As reliance on navigation technology grows, new applications are emerging that demand extremely high availability, reliability and accuracy in every environment. There is now broad consensus that augmenting these systems with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, operating across multiple frequencies, will be a pivotal step in improving navigation performance.Improved geolocation accuracy and integrityAt the forefront of this revolution, ESA’s Celeste in-orbit demonstration mission is emerging today as a real game changer. The 10-satellite constellation is expected to demonstrate how satellite in Low Earth Orbit will augment and diversify existing and future Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) GNSS systems, improving resilience and enabling new services in environments where today’s satnav cannot reach — deep urban areas, heavy foliage, polar regions and even indoors.Recognizing the strategic importance of having LEO navigation capabilities, the European Space Agency (ESA) launched Celeste project in 2024, which is currently in its In-Orbit Demonstrator (IOD) phase. The Celeste demonstration constellation comprises 11 microsatellites that will be orbited, delivered by two prime contractors, with Thales Alenia Space building five spacecraft. The IOD-2 satellite is preparing for a launch scheduled for March 2026.This program is designed to enhance resilience and exponentially boost the performance of existing navigation services. Built on a multi-orbit approach, it will work alongside Galileo and other satellite navigation systems to deliver centimeter-level geolocation accuracy, improved robustness, strong resistance to jamming and spoofing and low latency (fast signal acquisition). The Celeste mission is intended to support emerging use cases such as high-level vehicle autonomy — including continuous coverage in dense urban areas — Internet of Things applications, unmanned aerial and maritime vehicles and 5G/6G terrestrial network synchronization.The first satellite to depart our cleanrooms is IOD-2. A large CubeSat (12U/16U) roughly the size of a suitcase and weighing around 30 kg, it carries payloads for broadcasting in L-band and S-band.IOD-2 will validate the system definition and enable early signal transmission, while de-risking and demonstrating the core technologies for future Celeste satellites. Once deployed in orbit, it will operate for at least six months.The four IOD satellites that follow will be larger and more complex. Weighing twice as much, they will carry additional payloads to test innovative signals across multiple frequency bands and demonstrate new service capabilities.Once the full Celeste demonstrator constellation is in orbit by 2027, ESA will be able to assess how a LEO navigation layer can operate alongside Galileo and other MEO navigation systems. The project will deliver a fully integrated, end-to-end Celeste in-orbit demonstration mission, with the ambitious goal of launching the first satellite less than two years after kickoff. This accelerated timeline, combined with the technical complexity of the satellites, has been the main challenge as our teams prepared the first spacecraft for launch in early 2026.
Follow the Celeste launch campaign02/03/2026[...]The two satellites – developed by GMV and Thales Alenia Space – were transported first from Madrid, Spain and L’Aquila, Italy, respectively, to Berlin where they were integrated in their launcher interface pod at the Exolaunch premises. They then landed separately in New Zealand, with IOD-1 arriving on 20 February and IOD-2 arriving on 3 March, marking the official start of the launch campaign.After landing, both satellites were transferred by road from the Auckland airport to Rocket Lab’s Māhia Launch Complex.
Media are invited to join online media briefings in several languages ahead of the inaugural launch of ESA’s Celeste LEO-PNT in-orbit demonstration constellation. The first two satellites are scheduled to lift off no earlier than 24 March aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket from New Zealand.Celeste will play a pioneering role in elevating the future of Europe’s satellite navigation capabilities. As ESA's initiative in satellite navigation in low Earth orbit (LEO), the mission will test next-generation technologies and add new frequency bands for satellite navigation.Celeste will demonstrate how a complementary layer flying closer to Earth can enhance Europe’s current Galileo system in medium Earth orbit (MEO), boosting its overall resilience, enhancing its performance and opening opportunities for new service capabilities directly from LEO.Interested journalists are kindly requested to register by 17:00 CET on 10 March: https://blogs.esa.int/forms/esa-media-briefing-form. Only registered media will be able to attend and ask questions.Briefing schedule, Thursday 12 March (all times in CET)09:00-10:00: Briefing in French • Alan Le Priellec, System Engineer, ESA • Michel Monnerat, Director of Bids & Advanced Projects in Navigation at Thales Alenia Space10:00-11:00: Briefing in Dutch • ESA speaker: Edward Breeuwer, LEO-PNT Senior System Engineer, ESA11:00-12:00: Briefing in Italian • Pietro Giordano, Celeste System Manager, ESA • Andrea Gallon, Director Navigation, Galileo & Aerocomms Programs, Thales Alenia Space11:00-12:00: Briefing in German • Jörg Hahn, Head of Galileo System Engineering Service, ESA • Marco Anghileri, Celeste Payload Manager, ESA • Dr. Markus Moeller, Chief Strategy and Corporate Development Officer, OHB12:30-13:30: Briefing in Spanish • Roberto Prieto Cerdeira, Head of the Celeste Programme, ESA • Eduardo Fernández Matamala, Deputy Programme Manager for Celeste mission, GMV 14:00-15:00: Briefing in English • Javier Benedicto Ruiz, Director of Navigation, ESA • Michel Monnerat, Director of Bids & Advanced Projects in Navigation at Thales Alenia Space • Miguel M. Romay, Satellite Navigation Systems General Manager, GMV • Roberto Prieto Cerdeira, Head of the Celeste Programme, ESA
