German launch services provider Exolaunch secured and executed the launch contract for the United Arab Emirates’ LEONAV-1 satellite, integrating and deploying the payload aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-17 rideshare mission on July 7, 2026, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Funded by the UAE Space Agency and developed by the National Space Science and Technology Center (NSSTC) in collaboration with France’s CNES, Safran, and U-Space, LEONAV-1 represents the UAE’s initial orbital demonstrator for a sovereign Low Earth Orbit Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (LEO-PNT) constellation. The satellite is designed to deliver resilient, high-accuracy navigation signals for autonomous vehicles, smart infrastructure, aviation, maritime logistics, and emergency response operations.
Exolaunch managed end-to-end integration for the mission from its Berlin headquarters, providing launch capacity procurement, global logistics, environmental testing, and orbital deployment via its flight-proven EXOpod Nova deployer system.
