ESA has signed a contract with a consortium of European companies to drive the development of optical technology for positioning, navigation, and timing. This technology has the potential to revolutionize satellite navigation systems by providing unprecedented accuracy and robustness. Through the OpSTAR project, ESA aims to develop an in-orbit demonstrator for optical time synchronization and ranging that will be proposed at the ESA Council at Ministerial Level in November 2025.
The use of optical technology, specifically intersatellite optical links, offers advantages such as increased resilience, reduced reliance on atomic clocks, immunity to jamming and spoofing, and higher precision. This technology has the potential to improve current navigation systems by reaching millimeter-level spatial accuracy and picosecond-level timing, benefiting billions of users worldwide.
The contract signed with German OHB System and a consortium of 33 European companies will involve a concept definition study and technology predevelopments. The results of this study will assess the readiness of optical technology and provide essential inputs for future operational systems incorporating this technology. By involving industry players at this early stage, ESA aims to empower European industry to lead global PNT and shape the future of navigation in Europe.
Javier Benedicto, ESA Director of Navigation, expressed excitement about the project, emphasizing the importance of demonstrating the benefits of new technologies. José Ángel Ávila Rodríguez, Head of Future Programmes at ESA Navigation, highlighted the contribution of OpSTAR in defining an international interoperability standard for optical timing and ranging in PNT. ESA Navigation is at the forefront of satellite navigation innovation, working on programmes like Galileo, EGNOS, NAVISP, FutureNAV, and Moonlight to shape the future of satellite navigation.
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