KP Labs and NaviGate explore onboard autonomy opportunities through navigation and edge processing technologies

KRAKÓW, 16th of June 2026 - KP Labs and NaviGate have initiated a collaboration to explore how advanced onboard navigation software can leverage edge-processing capabilities available directly on satellites. The initiative focuses on assessing the potential interoperability between KP Labs’ Leopard Data Processing Unit (DPU) and NaviGate’s NaviCode software, supporting future concepts for autonomous satellite navigation and onboard mission operations.

The collaboration, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding, reflects a shared interest in enabling increasingly sophisticated applications to run directly onboard spacecraft, reducing dependence on ground infrastructure and supporting faster decision-making in orbit. The companies had an opportunity to further discuss the initiative and its potential applications during the Fringe conference in Kraków.

As satellite missions become more complex and constellations continue to grow in size, operators are seeking flexible onboard computing platforms capable of hosting a broad range of mission applications, including Earth observation analytics, autonomous navigation, guidance and mission planning. At the same time, software developers require reliable, high-performance processing platforms that can support advanced applications directly onboard spacecraft.

Against this backdrop, KP Labs and NaviGate are exploring how their technologies could complement one another. The collaboration focuses on the potential use of NaviCode, NaviGate’s autonomous navigation software, on Leopard DPU, KP Labs’ edge-processing platform designed for demanding satellite applications. The objective is to evaluate how advanced navigation and positioning capabilities can benefit from onboard processing resources while further demonstrating Leopard DPU’s flexibility in supporting mission-specific applications.

“One of the key trends shaping the future of space missions is the growing shift towards running advanced applications directly onboard satellites,” said Julia Marushchak, Chief Growth Officer at KP Labs. “Autonomous navigation is one of the capabilities that will become increasingly important as satellite missions grow in complexity. By exploring how NaviCode can run on Leopard DPU, we aim to better understand how navigation functions such as onboard orbit determination and positioning can be integrated directly onboard spacecraft, reducing reliance on ground support and enabling faster operational responses in orbit.”

NaviGate is an Italian space technology company developing autonomous satellite navigation and guidance software. Its flagship solution, NaviCode, is designed to perform orbit determination and navigation functions directly onboard spacecraft using GNSS, radiometric observables, and other navigation measurements. The software is intended to reduce dependence on continuous ground intervention and support a new generation of autonomous spacecraft and satellite constellations.

"The next generation of satellite missions will require an increasing shift of intelligence onboard, bringing navigation, data processing, and mission operations closer to where decisions need to be made. Running NaviCode on a flight-proven edge-processing platform like Leopard DPU is a natural step to demonstrate how advanced navigation functions can be deployed directly onboard, alongside other mission-critical applications. We are particularly interested in exploring how onboard precise orbit determination can complement payload data processing in Earth-observation missions, where accurate spacecraft positioning is a key input for downstream products," said Ivan di Stefano, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder at NaviGate.

Through this collaboration, KP Labs and NaviGate aim to better understand how advanced navigation software and edge-processing technologies can work together to support future autonomous satellite missions.

About KP Labs

Founded in 2016, KP Labs is a Polish space technology company advancing space exploration through the development of autonomous mission operations and onboard data processing systems. The company offers end-to-end solutions, including integrated hardware platforms, proprietary software, and advanced AI algorithms for Earth observation and planetary missions. KP Labs is involved in 10 space missions and has delivered over 50 R&D projects for the European Space Agency (ESA), NASA, and commercial clients. With a team of around 100 engineers and researchers, the company holds the status of an official R&D Center granted by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

About NaviGate

Spun out of Sapienza University of Rome, NaviGate is an Italian space technology company founded by researchers with extensive experience in spacecraft navigation and precise orbit determination across ESA and NASA missions including Juno, Cassini, BepiColombo, and JUICE and initiatives such as ESA Moonlight and Marconi constellations. The company develops NaviCode, a modular, data-agnostic software platform that enables satellites and constellations to perform precise orbit determination, orbit prediction, and autonomous maneuvering without continuous ground intervention, leveraging GNSS, radiometric, optical, and other navigation measurements. NaviGate is incorporated in 2026 and is backed by Galaxia, Italy's national technology-transfer hub for aerospace, and supported by the ESA BIC Lazio incubation program.

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More information: https://www.navigate-space.com/

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