As new PNT-powered applications emerge, the demand for more robust, reliable, accurate and available satellite navigation continues to grow. As system development prime and design authority of Galileo and EGNOS, ESA is a leading player in today’s satellite navigation landscape and is committed to remaining at the forefront of innovation for the benefit of European citizens.

Through market intelligence, identifying R&D priorities, exploring and maturing novel concepts and technologies and cultivating industrial capacity, ESA is shaping the future of navigation, hand in hand with European industry and the European Union.

In 2022, the new programme FutureNAV was launched to consolidate these efforts. Under this initiative, two first missions were approved by the ESA Council at Ministerial Level: LEO-PNT, which aims to demonstrate the potential of navigation satellites in low Earth orbit; and Genesis, a mission that will combine four geodetic techniques in one satellite to contribute to a highly improved reference frame of Earth.

ESA Navigation is exploring new activities to be proposed at the next ESA Council at Ministerial Level in November 2025 to drive the future of navigation.

The proposals include a deployment and extended exploitation phase for Genesis, and for LEO-PNT to enter an industrialisation and in-orbit validation phase. In addition, ESA Navigation has several proposals for in-orbit demonstrator missions on optical technology and navigation on the Moon and supporting R&D activities for preparation of future demonstrators.

These projects will take centre stage at FutureNAV Industry Day. Attendees will gain exclusive insights into ESA Navigation plans, with a particular focus on potential opportunities for European industry. The event will also offer multiple networking opportunities, enabling participants to connect with ESA representatives and colleagues from other industries.

European industry and researchers interested in becoming involved in FutureNAV projects are encouraged to join. For more information and registration, click here.

FutureNAV Industry Day will follow a Request for Information (RFI) on LEO-PNT industrialisation to gather insights on European production capability of payload building blocks and existing satellite platforms to accommodate them. These elements would eventually support an in-orbit validation of a representative LEO layer in a PNT 'system-of-systems'. Participants interested in this RFI will be able to connect with ESA experts on the topic.

This will be the second open call issued by ESA Navigation in relation to FutureNAV proposals, after companies and researchers were asked to help identify future navigation demonstrators and disruptive technologies to shape the landscape of satnav in the coming decades. Participants to this first call will also have an opportunity to network and consolidate potential collaborations.

To complement FutureNAV’s upstream initiatives, NAVISP Industry Days, on 4 and 5 March 2025, will focus on downstream applications. The Navigation Innovation and Support Programme (NAVISP) cultivates industrial capacities while pioneering the advancement of novel PNT systems. Set to take place at the University of London, United Kingdom, NAVISP Industry Days will bring together established leaders and emerging innovators to connect and explore latest advancements in PNT. You can register here.

Don’t miss the chance to be a part of these pivotal discussions and contribute to shaping the future of satellite navigation.