Italian space technology startup NaviGate 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 demonstration marks a significant step forward in satellite autonomy, moving critical navigation functions from ground-based infrastructure directly onto spacecraft.

The in-orbit demonstration took place on 30 September 2026. NaviCode Caravel ran directly on the satellite's onboard computer, computing the spacecraft's position in real time using only raw GNSS receiver data already aboard the spacecraft, with no additional hardware required.

Moving Orbit Determination Onboard

Traditionally, knowing precisely where a satellite is has remained a ground-based activity. Satellite operators rely on dedicated infrastructure, specialized flight dynamics teams, and repeated ground contacts to accurately reconstruct and predict the orbit of each spacecraft. As satellite constellations grow in size and missions become more responsive, this approach creates bottlenecks in cost, workload, and reaction time.

NaviCode Caravel addresses this challenge by moving precise orbit determination onboard as a software-only product. The system transforms raw GNSS receiver measurements into high-accuracy, real-time knowledge of a satellite's position, available directly where operational decisions are made.

Beyond determining current position, Caravel can also predict where a satellite will be and provide a measure of prediction reliability. This forward-looking awareness enables the spacecraft to anticipate upcoming events—such as ground station contacts or payload operations—and manage them autonomously without ground intervention.

Demonstration Results and Accuracy

The demonstration was carried out through D-Orbit's Software In-Orbit Demonstration service and structured 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 the runs using GPS-only measurements. 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.

NaviCode Caravel is designed to process multi-constellation GNSS data and correction services such as SBAS and Galileo HAS, enabling even higher accuracy in operational deployments.

Market Applications and Future Development

Following the demonstration, NaviGate is engaging constellation operators and mission integrators for first pilot deployments. NaviCode Caravel addresses concrete needs across multiple sectors: reducing ground workload and infrastructure required for precise orbit determination in 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 improving orbit determination across other mission types and orbital regimes.

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. NaviCode Caravel was also 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).

About NaviGate and Its Backers

NaviGate is a spin-off of Sapienza University of Rome founded by researchers with extensive experience in spacecraft navigation and precise orbit determination. The founding team developed expertise 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 in-orbit demonstration was the culminating milestone of a proof-of-concept program funded by Galaxia, the Italian Technology Transfer Hub on Aerospace powered by CDP Venture Capital together with Obloo Ventures. Galaxia has backed NaviGate from its earliest stage.

Andrea Sesta, Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder at NaviGate, commented: "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. 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."

Viney Jean-Francois Dhiri, Head of Growth, Sales and Marketing of the Space Cloud Business Unit at D-Orbit, added: "With five networked Intelligence Nodes in orbit, we can give customers access to space infrastructure that is already up and running. For NaviGate, that means testing their precise orbit determination algorithms ingesting raw GNSS measurements and attitude telemetry in real time from D-Orbit's ION platform, in-situ directly on-board, with no satellite to develop or launch. It's a practical way to move from simulation to real flight data in less time and at lower cost."