What makes the dAS20 different from other long-range drones?

Most long-endurance aircraft either rely on fuel and heavy ground logistics, or trade endurance for convenience. The dAS20 is a 100% electric aircraft with an air-inflated wing: no helium, a light structure, and a wing that already folds into a transportable bag. The full system is designed to fit in a car and to operate from hard-to-access areas. Persistence comes from rotating a small fleet, not from a single aircraft.

What are the key figures?

The current dAS20 prototype has an 8 m wingspan and a measured mass of 60 kg, including current batteries and excluding customer payload. Design targets are up to 20 kg of customer payload and multi-hour endurance, with 100% electric propulsion. Full figures are shared with qualified partners as flight testing progresses.

What stage are you raising at?

We are raising a €1M seed round in equity, complemented by €1.5M in targeted non-dilutive funding. The round funds the path from prototype to customer-ready system: controlled, repeatable flight and endurance (TRL 5), then a full mission with customer payload (TRL 6). We are open to qualified strategic angels and deeptech funds. Defence-aware investors are welcome under qualified-partner discussion only.

Who are your first target customers?

Defense and security is our entry point: stand-off surveillance and communications relay. Inbound demand already extends to maritime, energy, infrastructure and environmental monitoring: 30+ inbound organizations across 14 countries, and 2 signed LOIs.

F-DCCH • UAS-FR-410871 • FIRST TAKEOFF 7 MAY 2026

A new class of aircraft.

Persistent aerial coverage, made lighter, safer, and more deployable.

Long-endurance, 100% electric pneumatic-wing drone for surveillance, relay and inspection missions.

GET THE DECK

BOOK A 20-MINUTE CALL

SOLAR IMPULSE EFFICIENT SOLUTION • STARBURST ISRAEL (ASTRA / IAI) • IMPACT BUILDERS 2026 • OPERATIONAL PARTNERS ROAV7 & NAE • BUILT IN FRANCE

- THE PROBLEM

Operational blind spots are expensive.

Borders, rail and forests share the same need: seeing farther, for longer, without deploying heavy infrastructure.

≥ €31bn
/ year

EU illicit drugs retail market — the scale of what crosses borders unseen (minimum retail value, 2021 data).

EMCDDA / EUROPOL • EU DRUG MARKETS ANALYSIS 2024

~40,000
trains

impacted in 2024 by malicious acts and intrusions on the French rail network, with 800,000+ minutes of delay.

SNCF RÉSEAU • ANNUAL SAFETY REPORT 2024

1.08M
ha

burned in the EU in 2025, with around €2.5bn per year of damage to property and infrastructure.

JRC-EFFIS 2026 • EUROPEAN COMMISSION

- MISSION PROFILES

Where the dAS20 earns its keep.

Long-endurance, electric, autonomous: the missions where that combination matters most.

- WHY NOW

Why this aircraft exists today.

Three shifts converged between 2024 and 2026. European defence and resilience budgets are rising toward NATO's 5% of GDP target, and with them the demand for persistent surveillance. EASA's Specific category opened a viable path for long-range autonomous flight in European airspace. And pneumatic structural materials reached the performance needed for a load-bearing inflatable wing. None of these were true five years ago. All three are now.

- 7 MAY 2026 · LE HAVRE

It takes off.

The prototype is real and registered.

Prototype built in 6 months

First takeoff

Autonomous flight program

Aircraft registered F-DCCH

7 May 2026

In progress

Customer pull

2 LOIs signed

- BUSINESS MODEL

How the business works.

Three revenue lines: systems first, customer programs alongside, recurring support across the fleet.

01 · SYSTEMS

dAS20 platform sales

Direct sales of the dAS20 platform to defense, security and infrastructure operators, excluding the customer sensor.

02 · PROGRAMS

POC & integration

Customer-funded programs: payload integration, testing and mission adaptation.

03 · SUPPORT

Support, MRO & spares

Maintenance, spare parts and upgrades: recurring revenue across the deployed fleet.

SYSTEMS → PROGRAMS → SUPPORT

- ROADMAP

Where we are. Where we go.

2025

Solar Impulse Efficient Solution label. Prototype build begins in November.

Q1 2026

Avionics integration. Ground validation begins.

SPRING 2026

Flight-test authorization obtained in about three months.

MAY 2026 → TODAY

First take-off on 7 May at Le Havre. 10+ take-offs since. F-DCCH registered.

NEXT · TRL 5

Controlled, repeatable flight and endurance. First paid POCs.

THEN · TRL 6

Full mission with customer payload.

AFTER TRL 6

First paid programs. Series A.

Team

- 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 20 years in R&D for pneumatic structures and technical textiles. Founder of Soft Materials Engineering, an independent engineering firm whose clients include Airbus, GE, LVMH, Hutchinson, Stellantis, Air France and Stelia Aerospace. 50+ innovations, including 10+ products industrialized and brought to market, and 4 patents. His recognitions include a CES Innovation Award 2026 and a Concours Lépine Gold Medal 2023.

At Celeste, Benjamin designed the dAS20 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: €1M in equity, complemented by €1.5M in targeted non-dilutive funding. The round takes the dAS20 from prototype to customer-ready system: flight control, flight testing, payload integration, production and quality, patents, and three key technical hires. Open to qualified strategic angels and deeptech funds.

DEFENCE-AWARE INVESTORS WELCOME UNDER QUALIFIED-PARTNER DISCUSSION ONLY.

- FAQ

Questions we get.

01
Most long-endurance aircraft either rely on fuel and heavy ground logistics, or trade endurance for convenience. The dAS20 is a 100% electric aircraft with an air-inflated wing: no helium, a light structure, and a wing that already folds into a transportable bag. The full system is designed to fit in a car and to operate from hard-to-access areas. Persistence comes from rotating a small fleet, not from a single aircraft.
02
03
We are raising a €1M seed round in equity, complemented by €1.5M in targeted non-dilutive funding. The round funds the path from prototype to customer-ready system: controlled, repeatable flight and endurance (TRL 5), then a full mission with customer payload (TRL 6). We are open to qualified strategic angels and deeptech funds. Defence-aware investors are welcome under qualified-partner discussion only.
04

VIVATECH 2026 EXHIBITOR · IMPACT BUILDERS

- NEXT STEP

Two ways forward.

Whether you operate missions or invest in deeptech, let's talk.

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 dAS20 fits.

FOR INVESTORS

Get the pitch deck.

Full version with specs, market sizing, IP status, team, and financials. Sent within the hour by Olivier.