The European Space Agency (ESA)’s pioneering Low Earth Orbit Positioning, Navigation and Timing (LEO-PNT) demonstration mission, officially known as ‘Celeste’, has slipped past its original late-2025 launch target.
The pair of Pathfinder A satellites still have not lifted off, and current schedules now indicate a first launch in early 2026, with broad preparations continuing for deployment and in-orbit testing. The mission appears on official timelines as ‘NET Q1 2026’.
Originally, the mission’s first satellites were to fly on a dedicated Rocket Lab Electron launch vehicle from New Zealand, placing both spacecraft into a ~510-km low Earth orbit for in-orbit demonstrations. Rocket Lab’s selection as launcher underscores ESA’s interest in flexible, responsive launch services to support novel small-satellite constellations.
Celeste is the cornerstone of ESA’s FutureNAV programme and represents a significant evolution for satellite navigation. Instead of relying solely on traditional medium Earth orbit (MEO) systems such as Galileo and EGNOS, a low Earth orbit layer could provide stronger signal strength, enhanced availability in urban canyons, foliage, polar regions, and even indoors, and improved resilience against interference.
The mission will ultimately field a 10-satellite demonstrator constellation plus spares, each broadcasting multi-band signals to explore next-generation PNT concepts.
Unswerving commitment
Beyond the technical demonstration, Celeste forms a strategic contribution to Europe’s broader navigation roadmap. In late 2025, ESA’s Ministerial Council in Bremen (CM25) reaffirmed strong political and financial support for the agency’s navigation portfolio, including FutureNAV and related initiatives. Member States committed substantial funding to sustain innovation and resiliency in satellite navigation well into the next decade.
At that event, Javier Benedicto, ESA Director of Navigation, emphasized Europe’s global leadership and strategic direction in next-generation PNT, saying, “With LEO-PNT we are responding to rapidly growing needs, ensuring Europe leads global satellite navigation.”
After the initial early-2026 launch and six-month commissioning, the Celeste mission will enter an extended period of experimentation with industry and user communities, evaluating performance and integration with terrestrial systems. The full demonstrator constellation is expected to be in orbit by 2027, after which ESA and partners will assess results and plan for an in-orbit preparatory and industrialization phase that could lead to an operational LEO-PNT layer serving Europe and global users.
So, while Celeste may have missed its original late-2025 appointment, the mission, now set for an early-2026 liftoff, continues to signal Europe’s determination to push satellite navigation into a new, more resilient, multi-layer era.
