PLD Space has secured its first Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) contract with the European Space Agency (ESA), marking a major step in the company's expansion into navigation technologies. Under the agreement, the firm will create HALCON (Hybridization Algorithms and Low-cost Components for Optimized Navigation), a new hybrid navigation software designed for reusable launch vehicles.

The initiative was approved through ESA's NAVISP / Element 2 program, which focuses on advancing European leadership in Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT). The euro 995,705 contract will be co-financed equally by ESA and PLD Space, with the company retaining ownership of the resulting technology.

HALCON will integrate data from Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) with signals from Global Navigatio

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