Image: ESA
The Ministerial Council of the member states of the European Space Agency (ESA) has pledged 351 euros to ESA’s board of directors for navigation to aid in multiple satellite navigation endeavors.
This funding helps support ESA’s FutureNAV program, the Navigation Innovation and Support Program (NAVISP), and the Moonlight Initiative, developed for lunar telecommunications and navigation coverage and innovation.
The FutureNAV program continues to evaluate satellite navigation trends and design new concepts while applying PNT technology. ESA plans on launching several missions to advance research of the rapidly growing and changing need for accurate satellite navigation.
The first FutureNAV mission includes an in-orbit demonstration, low-Earth-orbit (LEO) navigation satellites, and brief orbit in space. The second mission, GENESIS, is set to map moving contours of Earth, while enhancing the accuracy of the Galileo navigation system.
The expanded funding will also be invested in expanding the NAVISP program. The program has already began working on more than 200 projects relating to satellite navigation, PNT research, and backing member states in research priorities.
Lastly, funding is being delegated to the Moonlight Initiative, a project designed by ESA to extend satellite navigation and telecommunications coverage to the Moon. The advancement and launch of Moonlight infrastructure on the Moon will undertake several missions bolstering future Moon exploration.