EnSilica to design ASIC for ESA

In partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA),  mixed-signal ASIC specialist EnSilica, will design and develop a key silicon component to enable multi-band GNSS capabilities.

The ESA, NAVISP Element 2 programme helps to increase the competitiveness of participating European states in the global market for satellite navigation and enables these countries to be well positioned to capitalise on emerging market opportunities across Positioning, Navigation and Timing (“PNT”) technologies and services.

EnSilica has a growing satellite communications market footprint and is working with support from ESA and UKSA, with the latter organisation awarding the Company £10.38 million in February 2025 for a development project under its Connectivity in Low Earth Orbit programme. Part of the company’s expertise is in architecting and implementing systems-on-chip with high-performance RF, including mmWave, and complex baseband processing.


Paul Morris, VP RF and Communications Business Unit at EnSilica, said, “As we and our infrastructure become ever more dependent on PNT services in everyday life, it is important to have highly integrated, resilient, and precise technology sourced in Europe and the UK. This collaboration will allow us to accelerate such technology, starting with a next-generation radio design enabling our partners to focus on integrating their custom algorithms.”


Ian Lankshear (pictured) CEO of EnSilica, added, “I am extremely proud of our team to have been secured this agreement under the ESA NAVISP Element 2. This project will enable us to further enhance global navigation satellite systems technology and continue to develop commercial solutions that are critical for resilient and reliable satellite navigation. We are grateful for the ongoing support from ESA and the UKSA, and we continue to focus on PNT and the broader satellite communications market as a key growth driver of our business.”

David Manners

David Manners

David Manners has more than forty-years experience writing about the electronics industry, its major trends and leading players. As well as writing business, components and research news, he is the author of the site's most popular blog, Mannerisms. This features series of posts such as Fables, Markets, Shenanigans, and Memory Lanes, across a wide range of topics.

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