UAV Navigation-Grupo Oesía is collaborating with the European Space Agency under the NAVISP Element 2 programme to develop resilient navigation for unmanned aircraft using signals from low-Earth-orbit communications satellites. The project will integrate LEO-derived positioning data into the company’s autopilot, helping UAS maintain navigation during beyond-visual-line-of-sight missions when GPS or other GNSS services are degraded, denied, jammed or spoofed.
Inster-Grupo Oesía leads the consortium, which also includes UAV Navigation-Grupo Oesía, the Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya (CTTC) and SICWAVE. The 24-month project, listed by ESA as the Enhanced Integrated Guidance-Coms System from LEO Satellites, is intended to support dual-use applications in defence, security and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
The system will extract positioning, navigation and timing observables from non-cooperative communications signals, particularly Ka-band transmissions, that were not designed for navigation. Multibeam electronically steered antennas will provide position estimates for fusion with inertial measurements, air-data information, GNSS when available and vision-based navigation. High-directivity antennas used by LEO broadband systems could also improve resistance to interference compared with conventional omnidirectional GNSS antennas.
The consortium plans to evaluate the approach in a flight-representative environment under realistic operating conditions. The project is compatible with emerging European LEO communications networks such as IRIS², although no specific constellation, aircraft platform, test location or operational deployment date has been disclosed.