SOLAR IMPULSE EFFICIENT SOLUTION • STARBURST ISRAEL (ASTRA / IAI) • IMPACT BUILDERS 2026 • OPERATIONAL PARTNERS ROAV7 & NAE • BUILT IN FRANCE
- THE PROBLEM
Aerial coverage costs more than it should.
Three numbers from public industry data, before we tell you what we do about them.
$2,500
per hour
The going rate for a single helicopter pipeline inspection flight. Plus crew, fuel, and refuelling stops.
HELICOPTER EXPRESS • DRONE LIFE NJ
INDUSTRY DATA 2025
15–25%
of flights grounded
Helicopter inspection programmes lose this share of scheduled flights to weather and pilot availability. Annual coverage suffers.
PHMSA INTEGRITY-MANAGEMENT COMPLIANCE REPORTS
$2M
to neutralise a $20k drone
Western air-defence systems fire interceptors costing over $2 million to take down threat drones costing $20,000. The math does not hold.
CSIS MISSILE DEFENSE PROJECT • BRUEGEL 2026
- MISSION PROFILES
Where the dAS10 earns its keep.
Long-endurance, slow, autonomous. The four jobs where that combination changes the unit economics.
- WHY NOW
Why this aircraft exists today.
Three shifts converged between 2024 and 2026. Operating costs for crewed aerial inspection outpaced inflation while compliance requirements rose. EASA Specific Category opened a viable path for long-range autonomous flight in European airspace. Pneumatic structural materials reached performance levels, making fixed-wing pneumatic aircraft physically feasible. None of these were true five years ago. All three are now.
- 7 MAY 2026 · SAINTE-MENEHOULD
It takes off.
The prototype is real and registered.
Prototype built
First takeoff
Autonomous flight program
Aircraft registered F-DCCH
7 May 2026
In progress
Pilot customers
Recruiting now
- BUSINESS MODEL
How the business works.
Three revenue lines, sequenced. Hardware first. Recurring revenue second. IP licensing third.
01 · HARDWARE
Aircraft sales
Direct sales to infrastructure operators and surveillance authorities. Opening with pilot customers in Q4 2026.
02 · SERVICE
Mission-hour pricing
Service offering for operators preferring usage over ownership. Benchmarked against current helicopter rates.
03 · IP
Licensing
Pneumatic-wing architecture licensed to defence and aerospace primes. Opens 2027.
HARDWARE → SERVICE → LICENSING
- ROADMAP
Where we are. Where we go.
Q4 2025
Prototype build complete.
Q1 2026
Avionics integration. Ground validation begins.
APRIL 2026
Solar Impulse Efficient Solution label awarded.
MAY 7, 2026 · CURRENT
First takeoff. F-DCCH registered.
Q3 2026
Flight envelope expansion. First pilot customer discussions.
Q4 2026
Pilot customer deployments. Mission-hour cost data collection.
2027 Series A.
Defence and licensing partnerships open.
- THE TEAM
Two people.
One aircraft.
CEO & CO-FOUNDER
Olivier Manette
PhD in Computational Neurosciences (Pierre and Marie Curie University / UPMC) and engineer (CNAM). Also a licensed ULM flight instructor.
Before Celeste, he founded and led FLOD SAS for ten years, a deeptech company building IoT and AI systems for structural monitoring of industrial infrastructure, reaching TRL 9. Techstars Montreal 2019 alumnus. EDF Pulse Grand Est laureate. Visiting lecturer in computational neuroscience at the University of Reims.
One of the rare deeptech CEOs who both writes the algorithms and flies the aircraft.
CTO & CO-FOUNDER
Benjamin Degasne
Textile engineer (ENSAIT) with nearly 20 years in R&D for pneumatic structures and technical textiles. Founder of Soft Materials Engineering, an independent engineering firm whose client list includes Airbus, Air France, Hutchinson, PSA, and Stelia Aerospace. He has delivered 50+ products to market, holds several patents, and counts a CES Innovation Award 2026 and a Concours Lépine Gold Medal 2023 among his recognitions.
At Celeste, Benjamin designed the dAS10 envelope from the ground up. He selected the materials, defined the assembly processes, and is leading industrialization. The pneumatic wing architecture at the core of the aircraft is his domain.
- FUNDRAISING
What we are raising.
Seed round currently open. Raising x M euros. Use of funds: flight envelope expansion, first x pilot customer deployments, and hiring in flight operations and certification. Target close: x. Open to qualified strategic angels and deeptech funds.
DEFENCE-AWARE INVESTORS WELCOME UNDER QUALIFIED-PARTNER DISCUSSION ONLY.
- FAQ
Questions we get.
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
VIVATECH 2026 · HALL 7.2 · 17 TO 20 JUNE · PARIS
- NEXT STEP
Two ways forward.
Three revenue lines, sequenced. Hardware first. Recurring revenue second. IP licensing third.
FOR OPERATORS AND POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS
Talk to us about your mission.
20 minutes. You describe what you need to cover. We tell you honestly if the dAS10 fits.
FOR INVESTORS