NaviGate demonstrates onboard precise orbit determination aboard D-Orbit's ION carrier
NaviGate · D-Orbit
Italian startup NaviGate ran its orbit-determination software directly on a D-Orbit satellite's onboard computer.
what happened
NaviGate, an Italian space tech company spun out of Sapienza University of Rome, completed an in-orbit demonstration of NaviCode Caravel, its autonomous onboard precise orbit determination software, aboard D-Orbit's ION Satellite Carrier, per SpaceNews. The software ran directly on the satellite's onboard computer, computing real-time position from the raw data of the GNSS receiver already onboard with no added hardware, reaching best-case formal accuracy of 5.2 cm and decimeter-level accuracy on GPS-only measurements, with onboard solutions verified consistent with ESA's GODOT ground-based reference orbits.
why it matters
Moving precise orbit determination onboard, rather than relying on ground processing, lets a satellite compute its own position and predict upcoming events like ground-station contacts without waiting on ground infrastructure. That's a capability constellation operators, EO providers, PNT systems and orbital-transfer vehicles can use for faster, more autonomous operations.
for who
Constellation and EO operators evaluating autonomous onboard navigation
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- NaviGate, D-Orbit
- Category
- product
- Impact
- notable
- SNR
- 3 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-09-30
- Published
- 2026-09-30 17:24 UTC