At 10:14 CET on March 28, 2026 (09:14 UTC), the first two satellites of ESA's Celeste mission lifted off aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from the Māhia Launch Complex in New Zealand, successfully deploying into low Earth orbit. This launch marks the official start of Europe's first Low Earth Orbit Positioning, Navigation and Timing (LEO-PNT) in-orbit demonstration mission.
Key Details
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Launch Vehicle | Rocket Lab Electron |
| Launch Site | Māhia Launch Complex, New Zealand |
| Launch Time (CET) | March 28, 2026, 10:14 |
| Satellites | 2 (IOD-1 and IOD-2) |
| Orbit | Low Earth Orbit (LEO) |
| Mission Type | LEO-PNT In-Orbit Demonstration (IOD) |
The Electron rocket completed stage separation at 10:16 CET, with the second stage separating at 10:23 CET. Payload IOD-1 was deployed at approximately 11:04 CET, followed by IOD-2 at approximately 11:08 CET.
About the Celeste Mission
Celeste is ESA's mission for Low Earth Orbit Positioning, Navigation and Timing (LEO-PNT) and is currently in its in-orbit demonstration phase. As Europe's first initiative for satellite navigation in LEO, Celeste will test next-generation technologies and new frequency bands to assess how a complementary LEO layer can work in combination with Europe's existing Galileo system in medium Earth orbit (MEO).
The demonstration constellation features 11 satellites testing innovative signal formats across multiple frequency bands. Its success will lay the foundation for a larger LEO-PNT constellation and contribute to ESA's new European Resilience from Space (ERS) initiative, endorsed at the 2025 ESA Ministerial Council (CM25).
The Celeste IOD phase was developed through two parallel contracts:
- GMV (Spain) leading with OHB (Germany) as core partner
- Thales Alenia Space (France) as prime with Thales Alenia Space (Italy) for the satellite platform
The project involves over 50 entities from more than 14 countries.
Future Outlook
Following the successful in-orbit demonstration, ESA will advance to the LEO-PNT In-Orbit Preparatory phase (IOBP), gradually building out the full LEO navigation augmentation constellation. This multi-layer navigation architecture will significantly enhance Galileo performance, especially in signal-challenged environments such as urban canyons and polar regions, and is expected to enable new commercial PNT services.