ESA gives the go-ahead for two new navigation missions – Raumfahrer.net

ESA signed contracts on March 19, 2024 with several European companies with a total value of 233 million Euros for the development of Genesis and LEO-PNT, two new missions under the FutureNAV program that put Europe at the forefront of satellite navigation in the world. hold on. Press release from the European Space Agency (ESA).

Source: ESA March 19, 2024.

March 19, 2024 – “With Genesis and LEO-PNT, we are addressing the rapidly growing need for more stable and accurate navigation and ensuring that Europe is the leader in satellite navigation in the world, the largest low-space market. I am pleased to be our competitive industry it brings these two missions to life,” says Javier Benedicto, ESA’s Director of Navigation.

The Genesis order is worth €76.6 million. A consortium of 14 companies led by OHB Italia SpA (IT) is responsible for the development, manufacture, qualification, calibration, launch and operation of the Genesis satellite, including all payloads. This mission is supported by Italy, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Hungary and the United Kingdom. The launch of the Genesis satellite is scheduled for 2028, followed by years of scientific use.

For LEO-PNT, two parallel contracts worth €78.4 million each were signed for two end-to-end demonstrators for Positioning, Navigation and Timing in Low Earth Orbit (LEO-PNT). The contracts cover the design and development of satellites and payloads, the ground component, the user component of test and launch satellites, operations, testing and demonstration of services to end users.

One of the LEO-PNT contracts is led by GMV Aerospace and Defense SAU. (ES), as general system general contractor and OHB System AG (DE) as general contractor and key partner for the aerospace component. The other contract is led by Thales Alenia Space France SAS (FR) as general system prime contractor and Thales Alenia Space SPA (IT) as aerospace component prime contractor. The two alliances involve more than 50 institutions from 14 countries, including industrial players with many years of experience in space, as well as new players pursuing new approaches to space – a mix of space companies, SMEs and representatives of Include users of the end.

The first LEO-PNT satellite is scheduled to be launched into orbit within 20 months of launch, and the entire constellation is expected to be in orbit by 2027.

The missions were approved at the 2022 ESA Cabinet meeting under the FutureNAV initiative at ESA’s Navigation Directorate. FutureNAV enables ESA to respond to trends and needs in positioning, navigation and timing, and puts Europe at the cutting edge of satellite navigation technology.

First, a flying probe measuring the Earth down to the millimeter
Genesis will contribute to the greatly improved International Earth Reference System (ITRF) with an accuracy of 1 mm and a long-term stability of 0.1 mm/year, providing a coordinate system for the most complex navigational applications on our planet.

The ITRF serves as an all-atmospheric reference and basic survey for navigation and geosciences. The updated ITRF will have immediate benefits for satellite-based systems and impact Galileo-enabled applications in areas such as aeronautics, traffic management, autonomous vehicles, space and navigation.

In addition, an improved ITRF will benefit many other areas: weather, natural hazard forecasting, climate change impact monitoring, land management and surveying, studying gravity and non-gravitational forces, to name just a few examples.

The extreme accuracy of Genesis is achieved by the joint localization of the main geodetic methods (earth measurement): satellite navigation, very long base interferometry, laser range for satellites and possibly DORIS on a well-balanced satellite board to be integrated, allowing distortion. removed to determine and correct with high precision. Instruments are synchronized with a more stable oscillator (USO).

LEO-PNT, a robust navigation system of systems
LEO-PNT (Low Earth Orbit Positioning Navigation and Timing) is a small constellation of demonstration satellites that will fly close to the Earth and test the use of new waves and frequency bands, obtaining exceptional stability, accuracy and speed in navigation, which will be possible to enable. a long list of new programs and services.

Constellation will demonstrate the benefits of partnering with Galileo and other international navigation satellite systems in a layered approach. LEO-PNT will ensure signals that will improve the robustness of the existing GNSS in the Earth’s central orbit, eg against natural phenomena and interference, and provide services in areas that cannot be reached by today’s satellite navigation systems, such as: B. areas of cities and even local areas. This mission will also demonstrate the capabilities of the LEO navigation constellation to provide space-based tracking capabilities for Galileo and EGNOS signals.

Another goal of this mission is to demonstrate PNT’s integration with open communication standards, including 5G/6G, opening the door to new applications for the Internet of Things, emergency services and low-latency space and time data. .

Applications that the low Earth orbit navigation constellation, together with existing GNSS, can enable range from transportation, including automobiles, autonomous vehicles, rail and maritime and digital in general, critical infrastructure, mobile devices, asset tracking or local environment.

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