ROME, 30 September 2026 – NaviGate, an Italian space technology company spun out of Sapienza University of Rome, has successfully completed an in-orbit demonstration of NaviCode Caravel, its autonomous onboard precise orbit determination software, aboard an ION Satellite Carrier operated by D-Orbit.

The milestone marks a significant shift in how satellites can determine their own position and trajectory in real time, moving precise orbit determination from ground-based infrastructure into the satellite's onboard computer.

Breaking the Ground-Based Dependency

Traditionally, knowing a satellite's precise location remains a ground-based activity. Operators rely on dedicated infrastructure, specialized flight dynamics teams, and repeated ground contacts to accurately reconstruct and predict orbital position. As satellite constellations grow in size and missions become more responsive, this approach creates bottlenecks in cost, workload, and reaction time.

NaviCode Caravel transforms this model by moving precise orbit determination onboard as a software-only product. The system converts raw measurements from a GNSS receiver—already carried by most satellites—into high-accuracy, real-time knowledge of the spacecraft's position, available directly where operational decisions are made.

"Satellites still depend heavily on the ground to know exactly where they are and where they will be. NaviCode Caravel changes that: it is a software product that lets a satellite compute its own position with high accuracy, in real time, using the GNSS receiver it already carries, with no new hardware," said Andrea Sesta, Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder at NaviGate.

In-Orbit Performance and Validation

The in-orbit demonstration was carried out through D-Orbit's Software In-Orbit Demonstration service in two phases. NaviCode Caravel was first validated on the ground using an engineering model that replicated the in-orbit computing environment. The application was then uploaded to an ION Satellite Carrier already in orbit and executed onboard, processing real flight telemetry from the spacecraft's GNSS receiver across multiple runs.

The software executed nominally onboard and in real time without anomalies. Onboard positioning achieved a best-case formal uncertainty of 5.2 centimetres, with mean values in the decimetre range across multiple runs, using GPS-only measurements. Beyond determining the satellite's current position, Caravel also predicts future location and provides a measure of prediction reliability, enabling the spacecraft to anticipate upcoming events such as ground station contacts or payload operations and manage them autonomously onboard.

NaviGate verified the onboard solutions on the ground, proving them consistent with reference orbits reconstructed through classical ground-based precise orbit determination performed with GODOT, the European Space Agency's flight dynamics software.

"Seeing it run in orbit without a single anomaly, and produce solutions consistent with the reference orbits computed on the ground, is the validation we were working toward, and a real milestone for the whole NaviGate team," Sesta added. "D-Orbit's Software In-Orbit Demonstration service was key to getting there quickly: we developed and tested our application on the ground in the same containerized environment used in orbit, iterated fast, and flew on real flight data within months."

Future Capabilities and Market Applications

NaviCode Caravel is the first release of the NaviCode fleet. Subsequent versions will extend capabilities to multi-sensor resilient navigation and autonomous maneuver planning for large constellations. The software is also designed to process multi-constellation GNSS data and correction services such as SBAS and Galileo HAS, enabling even higher accuracy in operational deployments.

NaviCode Caravel was selected as a winner of the CASSINI Challenges 2026, the European Union's space entrepreneurship competition run by the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA).

Following the demonstration, NaviGate is engaging constellation operators and mission integrators for first pilot deployments. The technology addresses concrete needs across multiple sectors: reducing ground workload and infrastructure for constellation operations, enhancing onboard image processing for Earth observation missions, supporting positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) constellations, improving orbit knowledge for launch vehicles and orbital transfer applications, and supporting other mission types and orbital regimes.

Backing and Team Heritage

The in-orbit demonstration culminates a proof-of-concept program funded by Galaxia, the Italian Technology Transfer Hub on Aerospace powered by CDP Venture Capital together with Obloo Ventures, which backed NaviGate from its earliest stage.

NaviGate was founded by researchers with extensive experience in spacecraft navigation and precise orbit determination through work on ESA and NASA missions including Juno, Cassini, Veritas, BepiColombo, and JUICE, as well as initiatives such as ESA Moonlight and Marconi constellations. The company was incorporated in 2026 and is supported by the ESA BIC Lazio incubation program.

D-Orbit's contribution reflects the growing value of in-orbit infrastructure for technology demonstration. The company operates five networked Intelligence Nodes in orbit, giving customers access to space infrastructure already operational. For companies like NaviGate, this means testing algorithms ingesting raw GNSS measurements and attitude telemetry in real time from the ION platform onboard, without needing to develop or launch a dedicated satellite.

"It's a practical way to move from simulation to real flight data in less time and at lower cost," said Viney Jean-Francois Dhiri, Head of Growth, Sales and Marketing of the Space Cloud Business Unit at D-Orbit.