Industries: mobility and logistics
Satellite data for mobility and logistics
Logistics and transport companies use satellite data to watch the ports and hubs their supply chains depend on, track fleets where mobile networks end, monitor transport corridors, and navigate by land, air and sea. LETO SPACE ranks your transport use cases by value, helps you procure the service and pilots it on one hub or corridor.
- Terrain, river and parcels
- Main roads, with the tracked route in blue
- River port and depot with container yards
- No mobile signal here, so positions are sent by satellite
01Use cases
Where satellite data helps in mobility and logistics
From the hubs a supply chain depends on to the vehicles, wagons and vessels that move the goods, satellite data answers questions along the whole transport chain.
- UC-19
Traffic hub monitoring with satellite data
Which satellite data show the state of ports and traffic hubs a supply chain depends on: satellite AIS, radar and optical imagery, GNSS and satellite links.
- UC-20
Rail infrastructure monitoring with satellite data
How rail infrastructure managers use satellite data to watch vegetation, ground deformation and natural hazards, and what stays with inspections on site.
- UC-21
Fleet tracking by satellite beyond mobile coverage
How vehicles, containers and vessels are tracked without a mobile network: GNSS for the position, satellite links for the transmission, and the limits of both.
- UC-22
GNSS jamming and spoofing: protecting business operations
How a business protects operations that depend on GNSS position or time against jamming and spoofing: find dependencies, harden receivers, plan a backup.
- UC-14
InSAR ground motion monitoring with satellite radar
What InSAR is, how radar satellites measure millimetre ground motion under infrastructure, and what the free European Ground Motion Service offers.
- UC-16
Supply chain satellite monitoring of outdoor storage sites
Which data shows activity at outdoor storage sites worldwide, how satellite imagery and AI turn it into supply-chain information, and where the limits are.
02Projects
Client project: monitoring global traffic hubs for critical logistics processes
One of our four anonymised client projects sits in operations.
- P-01SellEnergy and utilities
- P-02PlanConstruction and real estate
- P-03OperateMobility and logisticsMonitoring global traffic hubs for critical logistics processes.This industry
- P-04ReportIndustrial manufacturing
03How we work
How we help mobility and logistics companies
- Station 1
Strategy and use cases
We rank the use cases in network planning, hub operations and fleet management by value and feasibility.
- Station 2
Requirements and procurement
Requirements for a monitoring, tracking or connectivity service, and a scan of the providers.
- Station 3
Implementation
A pilot on one hub, one corridor or one part of the fleet, measured against KPIs agreed at the start, then the move into operation.
- Station 4
Skills and workshops
Training for the teams in planning, operations and asset management who will use the results.
Planning a pilot on a hub, a corridor or part of your fleet?Talk to us before you write the specification.
04Topics
Road, rail, aviation and shipping
T-01
Road transport and automotive
GNSS serves road transport in three ways: safety, for example connected and automated driving and emergency call services such as eCall; liability and enforcement, such as road user charging and smart tachographs; and the management of vehicle fleets. Satellite imagery provides the base layer of the HD maps that automated vehicles use Source: EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), 26 May 2026EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)EU Space Market Report 2026, Issue 126 May 2026Open source (opens euspa.europa.eu), and Earth observation supports the planning, construction and monitoring of roads Source: EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), 2024EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)EUSPA EO and GNSS Market Report, Issue 2, 20242024Open source (opens euspa.europa.eu). Where mobile networks are weak or absent, satellite communication keeps vehicles and logistics services connected Source: European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Space Solutions, accessed 6 October 2026European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Space SolutionsESA Space Solutions: Space for land mobilityaccessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens business.esa.int).
T-02
Rail
GNSS in rail supports train localisation for future signalling and higher levels of automation, and it enables predictive maintenance, asset tracking and the protection of track workers Source: European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Space Solutions, accessed 6 October 2026European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Space SolutionsESA Space Solutions: Space for rail, downstream applicationsaccessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens business.esa.int). Rail freight wagons increasingly carry satellite tracking devices; EUSPA estimates their number at more than 200,000 Source: EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), 2024EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)EUSPA EO and GNSS Market Report, Issue 2, 20242024Open source (opens euspa.europa.eu). Earth observation monitors track deformation across a whole network, trackside vegetation and landslide risk, which reduces the cost of on-site inspections, and ground-motion and vegetation monitoring by radar interferometry is increasingly integrated into operational infrastructure management Source: EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), 26 May 2026EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)EU Space Market Report 2026, Issue 126 May 2026Open source (opens euspa.europa.eu).
T-03
Aviation and drones
Aviation depends on GNSS for navigation, flight planning and operations, and EGNOS enables LPV-200 approach procedures with minima comparable to ILS CAT I without expensive ground infrastructure. In the drone sector, GNSS enables certified flights beyond visual line of sight and traffic management within U-space, and Galileo HAS supports applications such as BVLOS corridors, precision landing and automated docking. Earth observation helps predict the spread of volcanic ash clouds and, combined with elevation models and population density, supports the ground-risk assessment for drone operations Source: EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), 26 May 2026EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)EU Space Market Report 2026, Issue 126 May 2026Open source (opens euspa.europa.eu).
T-04
Shipping, ports and waterways
Ships of all sizes are legally required to carry a GNSS receiver or a terrestrial radio navigation system. Satellite imagery is used to assess the environmental impact of ports, to check AIS messages and find vessels that do not send them, and to validate insurance claims, and at open sea satellite communication is the link between ship and shore Source: European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Space Solutions, accessed 6 October 2026European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Space SolutionsESA Space Solutions: Space for maritimeaccessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens business.esa.int). Radar satellites observe by day and night in all weather conditions, and high-resolution radar data give port authorities recent information on changes in cargo and passenger ports Source: EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), 26 May 2026EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)EU Space Market Report 2026, Issue 126 May 2026Open source (opens euspa.europa.eu).
05Limits
When satellite data is not the answer in mobility and logistics
Limit 01
An image shows one moment
An image shows a port or a hub at the moment a satellite passes over it. Where you need a continuous view, satellite imagery complements the data from your own systems, partners and sensors; it does not replace them.
Limit 02
Clouds and resolution
Optical sensors cannot see through cloud, and radar answers different questions. Whether a vehicle, a container or only a busy area can be seen depends on the resolution of the data you buy.
Limit 03
Signals can be disrupted
GNSS signals can be jammed or spoofed. In shipping, attempted cyberattacks, including GNSS spoofing and jamming, have increased fourfold since February 2020 Source: EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), 2024EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)EUSPA EO and GNSS Market Report, Issue 2, 20242024Open source (opens euspa.europa.eu). Operations that depend on position need a plan for that case.
Frequently asked questions
Q1How can logistics and transport companies use satellite data?
Satellite data helps wherever a supply chain or a transport network spans large or remote areas. Satellite positioning tracks and traces vehicles and goods and supports route optimisation and the monitoring of assets in transit. Satellite communication connects vehicles and assets where mobile networks are weak or absent, and Earth observation measures environmental conditions such as emissions, land use and weather Source: European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Space Solutions, accessed 6 October 2026European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Space SolutionsESA Space Solutions: Space for land mobilityaccessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens business.esa.int). The right starting point is a problem in one of your processes, for example a hub whose disruptions you notice too late, not the data source.
Q2Which problems does Earth observation solve in mobility and logistics, and which does GNSS solve?
Earth observation answers questions about what is on the ground and how it changes: activity in and around ports, deformation of a railway track, vegetation along a line, or the spread of a volcanic ash cloud. Radar satellites observe by day and night and are not affected by weather Source: EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), 26 May 2026EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)EU Space Market Report 2026, Issue 126 May 2026Open source (opens euspa.europa.eu). GNSS answers questions about position and time: where a truck, a wagon, an aircraft or a drone is, and how it navigates Source: EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), 26 May 2026EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)EU Space Market Report 2026, Issue 126 May 2026Open source (opens euspa.europa.eu). Satellite communication carries the data where there is no terrestrial network, for example between a ship at sea and the shore Source: European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Space Solutions, accessed 6 October 2026European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Space SolutionsESA Space Solutions: Space for maritimeaccessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens business.esa.int).
Q3How can logistics companies track assets where there is no mobile coverage?
A tracking device determines its position by GNSS and sends it over a satellite link instead of a mobile network. ESA names satellite communication as a way to keep logistics and mobility services connected where mobile coverage is inadequate, unreliable or absent, for example in autonomous long-haul transport Source: European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Space Solutions, accessed 6 October 2026European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Space SolutionsESA Space Solutions: Space for land mobilityaccessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens business.esa.int). At open sea, satellite communication is the main link between a vessel and the shore Source: European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Space Solutions, accessed 6 October 2026European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Space SolutionsESA Space Solutions: Space for maritimeaccessed 6 October 2026Open source (opens business.esa.int). Our use case on tracking fleets beyond mobile coverage explains the options and their limits.
Q4How do we start, and what does a first pilot look like?
Choose one problem that someone in your organisation owns, for example a hub whose disruptions reach your planning too late, or a fleet that disappears from view on part of its route. A first pilot is measurable and time-boxed: its KPIs are agreed before it starts, and the person responsible for the problem decides at the end whether it goes into operation. Our consulting overview shows the path from the problem to operation.
Q5What data do we need to bring?
The locations of the hubs, routes, corridors or assets concerned, the records you already keep, such as telematics, schedules or incident logs, and a description of the decision the data should support.
Sources (5)
- EU Space Market Report 2026, Issue 1 (opens euspa.europa.eu)
- EUSPA EO and GNSS Market Report, Issue 2, 2024 (opens euspa.europa.eu)
- ESA Space Solutions: Space for land mobility (opens business.esa.int)
- ESA Space Solutions: Space for rail, downstream applications (opens business.esa.int)
- ESA Space Solutions: Space for maritime (opens business.esa.int)
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