ESA's First Celeste Satellites Set for Launch Aboard Rocket Lab Electron
Summary: On March 27, 2026, ESA announced that the first two Celeste satellites will launch on March 28 at 10:14 CET aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from the company's Māhia Launch Complex in New Zealand. This marks Europe's first Low Earth Orbit Positioning, Navigation and Timing (LEO-PNT) in-orbit demonstration mission, designed to augment the existing Galileo medium Earth orbit (MEO) constellation.
Background
Celeste is ESA's initiative for LEO-PNT (Low Earth Orbit Positioning, Navigation and Timing) and is currently in its in-orbit demonstration phase. As Europe's first satellite navigation mission in low Earth orbit, Celeste will test next-generation technologies and add new frequency bands for satellite navigation. The mission aims to demonstrate how a complementary layer flying closer to Earth can enhance Europe's current Galileo system in MEO, boosting overall resilience, performance, and enabling new service capabilities.
Mission Details
| Item | Parameter |
|---|---|
| Satellites | 2 (IOD-1 and IOD-2, first batch) |
| Total constellation | 11 satellites (demonstration phase) |
| Launch vehicle | Rocket Lab Electron |
| Launch site | Māhia Launch Complex, New Zealand |
| Scheduled launch | March 28, 2026 at 10:14 CET |
| Broadcast start | March 28, 2026 at 09:53 CET |
| Deployment | Approximately 11:04–11:08 CET |
Timeline (all times CET)
- 09:53 CET: Broadcast begins
- 10:14 CET: Liftoff
- 10:16 CET: First stage separation
- 10:23 CET: Second stage separation
- 11:04 CET: Payload 1 deployment (IOD-1)
- 11:08 CET: Payload 2 deployment (IOD-2)
- 11:09 CET: Broadcast ends
Technical Significance
The Celeste in-orbit demonstration phase was approved at ESA's Council at Ministerial Level in 2022. The fleet is being developed through two parallel contracts:
- GMV (Spain) leading, with OHB (Germany) as core partner
- Thales Alenia Space (France) as prime, with their Italian counterpart responsible for the space segment
The two consortia involve over 50 entities from more than 14 countries.
Celeste was further supported at ESA's Ministerial Council 2025 (CM25), towards the implementation of the next phase: the LEO-PNT In-Orbit Preparatory phase. The mission also contributes to one of the three core pillars of ESA's new European Resilience from Space (ERS) initiative, endorsed at CM25, addressing critical security and resilience needs for Member States.
How to Watch
The launch will be broadcast live on: