CubeSat manufacturer German Orbital Systems has contracted Neuraspace to secure the 16U pilot satellite, Pathfinder A, of ESA’s upcoming Celeste In-Orbit Demonstration constellation for LEO-PNT (Low Earth Orbit Positioning, Navigation and Timing) with space traffic management (STM) capabilities.
As part of this STM service package, Neuraspace will provide real-time automated solutions for conjunction screening, analysis, and classification, as well as manoeuvring planning and optimisation. In addition, launch and early operations phase (LEOP) will be supported with GNSS data processing and dedicated tracking using the company’s optical telescopes.
These services by Neuraspace will also contribute towards compliance to ESA’s space debris requirements, with the intention to control collision risk and prevent space debris release and proliferation.
Scheduled to be launched in the first quarter of 2026, the satellite will fly in LEO to demonstrate how PNT signals can ultimately provide guaranteed location accuracy, better signal robustness, increased resistance as well as faster signal acquisition.
Elena Eyngorn, CEO of GOS, said: “Being entrusted to build the in-orbit-demonstrator satellite platform for ESA’s Celeste constellation demands the best service for safeguarding this asset in space. With Neuraspace’s STM platform we can make sure we are receiving the most accurate information for space situational awareness (SSA), analytics and manoeuvre advice right from the start and to the very end of this great mission.”
