GMV deploys and validates NavShield in-orbit to strengthen navigation resilience across a commercial LEO satellite constellation

GMV, working with Alén Space, has developed NavShield for a European LEO satellite operator and validated it in-orbit. This onboard application, designed for low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, helps them keep estimating their position and velocity when signals from global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) are degraded or unavailable. The software was uploaded to operational satellites in a commercial LEO constellation in late July.

Satellites rely on GNSS signals to calculate their position and velocity, but interference can block the signals (jamming) or deceive the receiver with false ones (spoofing). Without reliable data from the receiver, the satellite’s navigation information may be compromised, potentially affecting payload operations.

NavShield monitors the integrity and plausibility of the GNSS solution and allows the satellite to continue estimating its position and velocity when that solution degrades or is lost. It runs autonomously within the satellite's existing systems and has a small processing and memory footprint, so it does not need major changes to the payload architecture. By keeping navigation data reliable, NavShield can help preserve payload availability and maintain continuity of satellite-enabled services in areas affected by interference.

GMV developed NavShield end to end, from analyzing real interference events and defining requirements to designing the navigation algorithms, developing the software, and validating it on the ground. During validation, the GMV team used representative satellite data across a wide range of conditions, from nominal operation to degraded and fully lost GNSS positioning. Before deployment, the complete payload software with NavShield integrated was also validated on the engineering model.

Following deployment, NavShield was successfully validated in-orbit, demonstrating navigation precision approximately three times better than required for payload operations. It also enhances the accuracy of the GNSS receiver output by significantly reducing noise in the positioning solution.

GMV's team in Poland led the project and was responsible for the application’s overall design, from the study of interference events to the detection and navigation algorithms. The GMV’s team in Spain supported validation with precise orbit determination, and Alén Space supported integration with the satellite platform.

Data collected during the campaign will support continued evaluation of the solution under different conditions and inform its further development for future low Earth orbit missions.

“NavShield addresses a growing need across the space sector: ensuring that satellites can maintain a navigation reference when GNSS signals are degraded or lost due to interference. Deploying and validating the application aboard operational satellites allowed us to confirm its performance under real mission conditions,” said Ambroise Bidaux-Sokołowski, Division Head Guidance Navigation and Control (GNC) at GMV.