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ESA backs a commercial library of real-world GNSS jamming data

ESA backs a commercial library of real-world GNSS jamming data

New Capabilities

Testnor will license recordings from Norway's Jammertest exercise and replay them in labs, so receiver makers can test against authentic interference.

Yesterday: Testnor data library announced

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

Testing a GPS receiver against jamming usually means a clean lab signal or a permit to broadcast interference outdoors. An ESA-backed project aims to sell the real thing on a hard drive instead.

The European Space Agency signed a two-year contract with Tromsø-based Testnor to build a library of GNSS interference recordings and a radio-frequency replay service. The source material is Jammertest, Norway's annual open-air jamming exercise, which has recorded more than 100 terabytes of data.

Why it matters

If the library works, a chipmaker can test a receiver against real jamming without a government permit or a trip to the Arctic.

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Key Indicators

24 months
Project duration
The NAVISP project is scheduled to run from September 2026 to September 2028.
7
Norwegian public authorities coordinating Jammertest
The exercise is run by a coalition of government agencies with Testnor as facilitator.
TRL 9
Target technology readiness level
ESA and Testnor aim for a fully operational commercial service, not a prototype.

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People Involved

IS
Ingrid Dahl Skarstein
Chief operating officer and co-founder of Testnor
Leading the ESA-funded data library project
RR
Rafael Lucas Rodriguez
Head of NAVISP at the European Space Agency
Overseeing the programme that funds the project

Organizations Involved

European Space Agency (ESA)
European Space Agency (ESA)
Intergovernmental space agency
Funder through its NAVISP programme

The European Space Agency runs NAVISP, which funds industry work on resilient positioning, navigation and timing.
Testnor
Testnor
Company
Contractor building the library

Tromsø-based company that organises Jammertest and is building the GNSS interference data library.
NS
Norwegian Space Agency
Government agency
Funded the call for projects

Norway's space agency issued the call that led to the Testnor project.
JA
Jammertest
Test exercise
Data source for the library

Annual open-air GNSS interference exercise in Andøya, northern Norway, described as the world's largest.

Timeline

2021 November 2026

6 events Latest: Yesterday
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Testnor data library announced

    Latest Announcement

    ESA announces the contract to build a GNSS interference recording and replay library.

  2. ESA signs Norwegian NAVISP contracts

    Contract

    ESA signs contracts with three Norwegian companies at Spaceport Norway in Oslo.

  3. NAVISP project 352 starts

    Project

    ESA's 24-month Testnor GNSS Interference Service project begins.

  4. Avinor joins Jammertest

    Partnership

    The airport operator becomes a partner in the exercise consortium.

  5. First full Jammertest week

    Test exercise

    A consortium stages a full week of GNSS interference testing around Bleik, Andøya.

  6. Jammertest pilot begins

    Test exercise

    The Norwegian Public Roads Administration and partners launch a pilot interference test bed.

Scenarios

1

Testnor opens a licensable GNSS interference library

Likely Resolves by Sep 1, 2028

Discussed by: ESA and Testnor project documents

The NAVISP project is structured to reach TRL 9 within 24 months. If it does, Testnor will run a public web platform selling recorded interference and lab replay time to receiver, chipset and antenna makers.

2

The project slips past its two-year window

Possible Resolves by Sep 1, 2028

Discussed by: ESA NAVISP project schedule

Hardware development, regulatory clearance and a commercial platform are three separate tasks. A delay in any one pushes the service past September 2028.

3

A major chipset vendor validates against the library

Uncertain Resolves by End of 2029

Discussed by: Testnor's stated target market

The commercial case rests on receiver and chipset makers using the recordings in design validation. A public endorsement from a named vendor would show the library is being adopted, not just licensed.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2021–2022

Jammertest pilot and first full exercise (2021–2022)

Norway's Public Roads Administration and a few authority partners ran a pilot interference test bed in 2021. In 2022, a consortium including the Defence Research Establishment, the Communications Authority and the Metrology Service staged a full week of GNSS jamming tests around Bleik on Andøya.

Then

The exercise drew participants from academia, industry and government.

Now

It became an annual event, described as the world's largest open GNSS interference test, and later added the Mapping Authority, the Space Agency and Avinor.

Why this matters now

Jammertest is the source of the recordings Testnor will license.

2001

US Department of Transportation report on GPS vulnerability (2001)

A US Department of Transportation report put focus on GNSS vulnerability to radio-frequency interference. At the time, GPS was already the primary positioning, navigation and timing source for many users.

Then

The report raised awareness of interference risk.

Now

GNSS dependence grew, and interference moved from occasional nuisance to routine in aviation, highways and construction.

Why this matters now

It explains why demand for authentic interference test data exists.

Sources

(4)
ESA RNC: Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity ESA NAVISP European Space Agency MDPI