Follow the Celeste launch campaign
The first two satellites of ESA’s Celeste LEO-PNT demonstration mission are scheduled to lift off no earlier than 25 March, aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket from the company’s Māhia Launch Complex in New Zealand.
This page chronicles the milestones leading up to the inaugural launch of ESA’s first satellite navigation initiative in low Earth orbit (LEO): Celeste IOD-1 and IOD-2. Celeste will demonstrate how a complementary layer flying closer to Earth can enhance Europe’s current Galileo system in medium Earth orbit (MEO), boosting the overall resilience, enhancing its performance and opening opportunities for new service capabilities directly from LEO.
Update (19/03): due to weather conditions, next week's launch has been postponed to no earlier than Wednesday 25 March.
This article was last updated on 24 March 2026.
Milestone one: arrival in New Zealand
The two satellites – developed by GMV and Thales Alenia Space – were transported first from Madrid, Spain and L’Aquila, Italy, respectively, to Berlin where they were integrated in their launcher interface pod at the Exolaunch premises. They then landed separately in New Zealand, with IOD-1 arriving on 20 February and IOD-2 arriving on 3 March, marking the official start of the launch campaign.
After landing, both satellites were transferred by road from the Auckland airport to Rocket Lab’s Māhia Launch Complex.
Milestone two: functional tests and fuelling
Following their arrival, each satellite underwent a series of pre‑launch testing and activities. The teams completed functional testing to ensure that every subsystem of the satellite was operating nominally. The spacecraft fuelling then started in a dedicated facility.
Milestone three: ‘fit check’ and mating
The team performed a fit check, verifying that the satellites correctly mated with the launcher adapter that will secure them during ascent.
Once testing was completed, the satellites were switched off, ready to be switched on again only once they reach orbit.
Milestone four: satellite integration
The two Celeste satellites were integrated as one on the Electron dispenser. From this point onward, they will travel as single unit through the final steps of launch preparation.
Milestone five: encapsulation in the Electron rocket
This is the last time the Celeste satellites were visible on Earth. Both spacecraft were placed inside the Electron rocket’s fairing ahead of the planned launch on 25 March.
Next time they see the Sun, they will be in space.
Milestone six: Roll out
The Electron rocket was rolled out at Rocket Lab’s Māhia Launch Complex. Waiting at the top of the rocket, the two Celeste spacecraft are ready for their journey to power next-generation satellite navigation technologies from low Earth orbit!
About Celeste
The Celeste mission is ESA's initiative for LEO-PNT (Low Earth Orbit Positioning Navigation and Timing) and is currently in its in-orbit demonstration phase. This first phase features a demonstration constellation of 11 satellites that will fly in low Earth orbit to test innovative signals across various frequency bands. Its goal is to advance satellite navigation concepts for resilient positioning and timing services.
The Celeste in-orbit demonstration phase was approved at ESA’s Council at Ministerial Level of 2022. The fleet is being developed through two parallel contracts respectively led by GMV (ES) with OHB (DE) as core partner, and by Thales Alenia Space (FR) as prime and Thales Alenia Space (IT) as space segment responsible. The two consortia involve over 50 entities from more than 14 countries.
Celeste was further supported in ESA’s Council at Ministerial Level of 2025 (CM25), towards the implementation of the next phase: the LEO-PNT In-Orbit Preparatory phase.
Celeste also contributes to one of the three core pillars of ESA’s new European Resilience from Space (ERS) initiative, endorsed at CM25. ERS addresses critical security and resilience needs for Member States while laying the groundwork for future European strategic space capabilities.