Stelion Systems

Stelion Systems is a developer of innovative celestial navigation technology for military aircraft, naval vessels, ground vehicles and unmanned platforms operating in GNSS-denied and degraded environments. Using optical observations of the Sun and stars, the company’s advanced sensors provide an alternative or complementary source of positioning, heading and orientation information for resilient defense navigation systems.

Built on proven sun sensor and star tracker technology for space missions, Stelion adapts optical sensing principles to terrestrial and airborne navigation challenges. The cutting-edge technology is designed for integration by defense OEMs system integrators, providing additional critical data when satellite signals are unavailable or compromised.

Resilient Positioning & Navigation for Military & Defense Platforms

Stelion’s stellar navigation technology combines precision optical sensing, inertial measurements and advanced processing to determine position and orientation using celestial references. These observations provide an independent navigation input that can work alongside GNSS and inertial navigation systems within an alternative or assured PNT architecture.

The technology offers a range of advantages for mission-critical military and defense platforms operating in austere, remote and contested environments:

• GNSS-independent references: Celestial observations provide navigation information without relying on satellite navigation signals, reducing dependence on a single positioning source.
• Resilience to GNSS interference: Natural celestial references provide an alternative navigation input when GNSS signals are affected by jamming or spoofing attacks.
• Passive sensing: Celestial navigation requires no transmitted navigation signals, avoiding RF emissions and helping to maintain covertness.
• Heading without magnetic references: Celestial sensing provides an alternative to magnetometers for platforms affected by magnetic disturbances.
• Inertial navigation integration: Stelion sensor data can be seamlessly integrated with inertial measurement data to contribute to a more resilient navigation solution.

The STELION family provides dedicated Geolocation and Heading sensors, together with a Navigation sensor that combines both functions.

Precision Stellar Navigation Technology

STELION Geolocation

High-precision attitude & geographical position for nighttime GNSS-denied operations

STELION Geolocation (STELION-SGS) is an advanced optical sensor that delivers autonomous geolocation and orientation capabilities during nighttime operations. Combining multispectral imaging with integrated navigation capabilities, it calculates attitude and geographical position using stellar objects and known time and date.

The system delivers geolocation accuracy of less than 500 m, depending on the INS, providing an independent positioning input when GNSS is unavailable or compromised. It also provides degraded GPS detection capability, making it ideal for defense navigation architectures requiring an alternative to satellite-based positioning.

STELION-SGS’ plug-and-play architecture simplifies integration into military platforms, requiring no external electronics. Weighing less than 360 g and consuming less than 3 W from a 5 VDC supply, it is ideal for SWaP-limited designs.

More info: STELION high-precision geolocation

STELION Heading

Resilient heading and orientation for military vehicles & platforms

STELION Heading (STELION-SHS) provides autonomous high-precision heading and orientation measurements during both daytime and nighttime operations. As an alternative to magnetic heading references, it delivers reliable information that complements and improves GNSS-based navigation, with an optical sensing approach designed for resilience against electromagnetic interference.

Utilizing a CMOS detector with a field of view of 170° during the day and 40° at night, STELION-SHS is capable of yaw accuracy down to 0.1°. Weighing less than 170 g with a power draw of no more than 3 W, it is ideal for defense platforms requiring heading and orientation sensing capabilities with a low SWaP footprint.

More info: STELION high-precision heading & orientation

STELION Navigation

Combined autonomous navigation & orientation for challenging & contested defense environments

STELION Navigation (STELION-SNS) combines heading, geolocation and orientation measurements in a single optical sensor designed for daytime and nighttime operation. It provides complementary information to support and improve the performance of existing navigation systems, enhancing resilience for defense platforms operating in challenging and contested environments.

The sensor delivers 0.1° heading accuracy, with geolocation accuracy of 4–5 km during the day and 1–2 km at night. With an easy-to-integrate plug-and-play architecture, compact footprint and weight of less than 170 g, STELION-SNS is highly suited to military platform integration and can be provided with 5 VDC or 12 VDC power input on request.

More info: STELION navigation support

Defense Platform Applications & Integration

Stelion’s modular approach allows celestial sensing capabilities to be incorporated into existing vehicle architectures and mission systems. For defense OEMs and system integrators, the sensors provide additional sources of heading and position information that can complement inertial systems and GNSS, helping reduce reliance on any one navigation technology.