Overview
- ESA plans liftoff on March 25 at 10:14 CET with live coverage starting at 09:53 CET on ESA WebTV and YouTube.
- Rocket Lab’s Electron will launch two Celeste satellites from Māhia, New Zealand, on the Daughter of the Stars mission, the company’s first dedicated flight for ESA.
- Celeste will test next‑generation navigation signals and new frequency bands from about 510 kilometers to see if LEO broadcasts can fill Galileo reception gaps.
- The campaign begins an 11‑satellite LEO‑PNT demonstration designed to validate technology and signal designs before later preparatory phases.
- Development runs through two consortia led by GMV with OHB and by Thales Alenia Space, involving more than 50 entities across over 14 countries.