ESA Navigation Lab showcases multi-receiver UAV

The Navigation Laboratory of the European Space Agency (ESA) has acquired an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that can carry different types of satellite navigation receivers to collect data for follow-on analysis.

The NavLab, based at ESA’s ESTEC technical centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, is focused on the testing, analysis and characterization of navigation systems for both ESA and external customers.

With UAVs representing a rapidly expanding user base, the new UAV is a timely addition to the NavLab’s suite of platforms for testing GNSS technologies and techniques, ESA said. Other tools include static, mobile and pedestrian platforms and a pair of test vans.

Along with receivers and antennas, the UAV can host radio-frequency spectrum samplers and support equipment such as inertial sensors and stereo cameras, allowing the assessment of performance in specific dynamics and environments related to UAV applications, such as approach, landing, flying beside buildings or indoors.