LE BOURGET–Thales Alenia Space is preparing a demonstration satellite for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) in low Earth orbit (LEO) for launch this year, as the precursor of a future constellation that the European Space Agency (ESA) might want to create in the coming years.
A LEO-PNT system could complement the EU’s existing Galileo medium-Earth-orbit PNT constellation, bringing stronger resilience. ESA has been weighing the pros and the cons of such spending and plans to make a recommendation to the European Commission (EC). If the EC goes ahead, funding will be part of its next budget, the 2028-34 multiannual financial framework (MFF).
Thanks to the lower orbit, the shorter latency may improve performance. Moreover, the signal the antenna receives on the ground is stronger, Thales Alenia Space CEO Herve Derrey said at the Paris Air Show here during a June 18 press briefing. It can therefore better withstand jamming attempts, as such hostile action would need more power. The faster movement of the satellites, as seen from the ground, contributes to that resistance. In addition, advanced studies are underway for LEO-PNT satellites to carry an anti-jamming system, Derrey said.
After the first satellite this year, Thales plans to launch more demonstrators next year. ESA may fund another tranche of technology derisking activity before 2028, Derrey said. A full constellation, comprised of 300 or so spacecraft, would be deployed between 2028-2034, during the MFF spending period.
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