GPS World

Tag: NAVISP Element 2

  • Spain’s PLD Space to develop GNSS-IMU for reusable space vehicles

    Spain’s PLD Space to develop GNSS-IMU for reusable space vehicles

    PLD Space, based in Elche, Spain, has been selected by the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) for its first Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) contract. Under this contract, the company will develop HALCON (Hybridization Algorithms and Low-cost Components for Optimized Navigation), a new hybrid navigation software for reusable launch vehicles. 

    ESTEC is part of the European Space Agency (ESA). The project has been approved under NAVISP Element 2, a key ESA initiative to enhance European competitiveness in positioning, navigation and Timing (PNT) technologies.

    The contract, with a total budget of €995,705, will be co-funded equally by ESA and PLD Space, which will retain ownership of the final development. 

    GNSS-IMU System for Reusability

    The HALCON project aims to develop advanced software that combines inertial measurement unit (IMU) data with GNSS signals to achieve precise navigation during rocket launch and landing, a critical capability for reusable launchers such as MIURA 5 and MIURA Next. 

    Traditionally, IMU-only systems have been costly, less accessible, and less accurate over long operational periods. By integrating GNSS signals (such as Galileo or GPS), PLD Space will develop its own, more affordable and more precise navigation system, optimized for controlled landings — an essential step towards advancing the reusability of space vehicles. 

    Image: PLD Space
    Image: PLD Space

    “This project represents a strategic step forward in the development of our own navigation capabilities,” said Raúl Verdú, co-founder and chief business development officer of PLD Space. “With ESA’s support, we will enhance landing maneuver precision, gain vertical integration, and move towards the future integration of autonomous flight termination technologies in Europe.”

    The proposal was selected under ESA’s NAVISP Spanish Call, launched in November 2024, arranged both by the Spanish Space Agency (AEE) and ESA. The call invited Spanish industry to propose innovative projects in the PNT field. PLD Space’s contract follows a rigorous technical and commercial assessment and has been favorably evaluated for its alignment with market demand, the competitiveness of the solution, and the strength of its commercialization strategy. 

    Technology for Europe’s Future in Space 

    The HALCON system will deliver centimeter-level positioning accuracy, enhancing both safety and operational efficiency. It is based on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components, significantly reducing development costs compared to traditional high-end solutions. 

    This technology will not only improve the reliability and sustainability of space transportation but will also pave the way for future capabilities such as a European Autonomous Flight Termination System (AFTS), which is not yet authorized on the continent. This capability is critical for increasing flight autonomy and mission safety in complex scenarios, while positioning Spain as a leader in next-generation launchers. 

    The development will be carried out entirely in-house by PLD Space’s engineering team, with ESA’s technical support, and will be integrated into the company’s technology roadmap, aligned with its reusability and operational autonomy plans through 2030. 

  • Space Codesign obtains ESA/NAVISP funding for spaceborne GNSS receiver

    Space Codesign obtains ESA/NAVISP funding for spaceborne GNSS receiver

    Space Codesign logoSpace Codesign Systems has received funding from the European Space Agency (ESA) to support the design of a spaceborne GNSS receiver. The company is a provider of an end-to-end automated solution, from high-level application specification to physical board compilation.

    The spaceborne receiver will target system-on-chip (SoC) field programmable gate arrays (FPGA). SpaceStudio software by Space Codesign Systems is a development environment that eases the design flow of advanced algorithms targeting FPGA technology without the inherent complexity of FPGA.

    In avionic systems, transition from federated avionics architectures to integrated modular avionics (IMA) is observed. IMA architectures provide a shared computing platform, communications, and input/output resource pool that is partitioned by multiple tasks of differing design assurance criticalities. A similar transition is occurring in the world of satellite systems.

    “The main objective of the project is to add features to explore different architectures and hardware/software partitions for spaceborne GNSS receivers, such as [for] GPS and Galileo, operating in both low Earth orbits (LEOs) and high Earth orbits (HEOs),” said Guy Bois, founder,  Space Codesign System.

    The project will also support the XtratuM Next Generation (XNG) hypervisor for mixed-criticality systems in the virtual platform offered by SpaceStudio, where multiple tasks with different criticality and certification assurance levels are integrated using a shared computing platform.

    The funding is under ESA’s Navigation Innovation and Support Programme (NAVISP) Element 2,  made possible thanks to the Canadian Space Agency’s participation in the NAVISP. NAVISP is an optional program of ESA initiated in 2017 to support the generation and introduction of innovation in various positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) market segments. The main goal of NAVISP is to generate innovative concepts, techniques and systems linked to the highly competitive and evolving global market for PNT technologies. Element 2 continues to demonstrate its relevance, with more than 120 projects incubated so far.

  • Spire to develop flexible geolocation signal-processing tools for ESA

    Spire to develop flexible geolocation signal-processing tools for ESA

    Spire logoSpire Global has been awarded a contract under the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Navigation Innovation and Support Programme (NAVISP), specifically “Element 2 – Competitiveness in PNT.” The contract is funded by the United Kingdom Space Agency.

    Spire will work with NAVISP to build on the current capabilities of the Spire constellation and develop tools needed for geolocation signal processing, which will be applied toward geolocating GNSS interference sources coming from the Earth’s surface.

    Spire’s low-Earth orbit (LEO) nanosatellite technology will be used to collect suspect interfering RF signals from a range of geographic areas prone to disruptions. Using advanced processing algorithms, the project will develop a suite of geolocation signal collection and processing techniques (including single and multi-satellite) to detect and characterize signals from a variety of interference scenarios.

    NAVISP Element 2 emphasizes maintaining and improving the capability and competitiveness of the position, navigation and timing (PNT) industry and its technologies and services in the global satellite navigation market. In recent years, PNT services have become ubiquitous and relied on by industry and critical national infrastructure such as telecommunications, emergency services, energy, finance, food and transport. The GNSS signals used in these applications are vulnerable to interference, which can disrupt PNT services.