Celestia UK wins ESA contract to improve GNSS signals

September 27, 2022 - By Tracy Cozzens

Celestia UK has won a €800,000 European Space Agency (ESA) contract to develop an innovative positioning, navigation and timing(PNT) solution based on LEO satellite constellations for 5G networks and applications.

The contract was granted under ESA’s Navigation, Innovation and Support Programme (NAVISP).

Malachy Devlin, CEO, Celestia UK

Celestia’s LEO-SYN+ project is intended to boost the reliability and performance of GNSS. It will use low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite signals of opportunity to provide a resilient position and time reference for 5G networks and improve the robustness of GNSS signals.

It includes development of a PNT receiver compatible with multi-GNSS constellations and LEO signals of opportunity, as well as testing of the solution in 5G networks. A prototype receiver will validate the product design and the technology development, paving the way for additional applications of the technology to other critical infrastructures after the initial ESA NAVSIP roll-out.

To deliver the ambitious project, Celestia UK is partnering with Heriot-Watt University, which brings extensive knowledge in satellite communications and digital signal processing, and The Scotland 5G Centre, the national center for accelerating deployment and adoption of 5G and realizing its economic and societal potential for Scotland.

“It is a great benefit for the business to have won an ESA NAVSIP contract,” said Malachy Devlin, CEO of Celestia UK. “We are looking forward to collaborating with ESA and our partners to unlock the potential to improve the resilience of 5G networks with our PNT solution.”

Ian Sharp, head of Business Development, The Scotland 5G Centre, added,“The Scotland 5G Centre is providing businesses access to 5G services through a national network of innovation hubs, under its 5GConnect Programme. It is well known that 5G will support higher data throughput and interactive services through reduced latency. However, 5G will also provide new possibilities for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT). Use of advanced antennas and positioning over satellite will be critical for outdoor applications where precise navigation is essential to meet safety requirements for the likes of drone navigation and autonomous vehicles. We are delighted to be working alongside Celestia UK, supporting the innovative LEO-SYN+ project, which will utilise our cutting edge 5G network.”