ESA launches first Celeste satellites to test additional navigation layer in low Earth orbit

The LEO-PNT mission (Low Earth Orbit Positioning, Navigation, and Timing) from ESA is aimed at that, to make satellite signals more stable and accurate.

Here are the key facts about Celeste's launch:

New navigation layer: The Celeste satellites operate in low Earth orbit (LEO), which is much closer to Earth, than the classic Galileo satellites (MEO). This allows you to receive a stronger signal, which penetrates better through obstacles (houses, leaf) and is more difficult to jam (jamming).

Precision: An additional layer of LEO allows you to reduce the time of the "cold start" of receivers and increase the accuracy of positioning to centimeters, which is critical for autonomous cars and drones.

Producer: The first two satellites were developed by Thales Alenia Space (France/Italy) in record time.

Integration: Celeste is not a replacement for Galileo, and works with him in pairs, creating a multi-layered architecture, which ESA calls a "system of systems".

Interesting, that this launch took place against the backdrop of growing competition: SpaceX is already testing similar capabilities through Starlink, and China is building its own Centispace network.

Source: https://spacenews.com