The inaugural precision commercial alternative to GPS is set to launch this month, with six satellites engineered by the startup Xona Space Systems entering orbit. While a service that competes with the free signals offered by governments globally may appear imprudent, Xona aims to disrupt the navigation and timing sectors, which have long been dominated by government-operated space systems, through venture-backed innovation. Established in 2019, Xona was founded by a group of five engineers who initially met in the aerospace engineering graduate program at Stanford University. One of the founders, Tyler Reid, later obtained a PhD, focusing his dissertation on the potential of utilizing satellites in low-earth orbit to enhance navigation.
Although GPS and analog satellite networks developed by Europe, China, and Russia provide significant value, they are susceptible to jamming and lack the precision required for applications such as agricultural robotics or autonomous vehicles. During informal discussions over “pizza and beer,” the group contemplated whether addressing these challenges could lead to a viable business opportunity. “My initial reaction was that this idea was foolish,” stated Xona CEO Brian Manning, during a recent visit to the company’s headquarters, as reported by hinews. “Why would anyone want to replace GPS? It’s free, right? However, as I began to investigate further, I realized that while people perceive GPS as a complimentary service, the real market lies in the hardware. Billions of devices are sold annually, and those are not given away for free. There exists a vast market in dire need of enhanced performance.”
Nonetheless, the journey toward delivering such a service was fraught with challenges. Enhancing GPS with a more robust signal that provides superior timing and location data remained a significant technical hurdle. The company was tasked with creating a distinctive architecture that would enable its satellites to maintain accurate time without the need for costly atomic clocks onboard, leveraging the spacecraft’s proximity to Earth and its close communication with terrestrial sources of truth. Another technical hurdle the company successfully addressed was ensuring that its signals could be received by existing GPS receivers with relatively straightforward software modifications. This approach grants Xona immediate market access and facilitates compliance with regulations governing the broadcasting of navigation signals.
Later this month, a SpaceX rocket is slated to launch six satellites for Xona. Four of these satellites are akin to a prototype the company deployed last year, which validated its technology; these satellites are constructed around a platform developed by Aerospace Labs. The remaining two satellites were entirely manufactured by Xona at its headquarters in Burlingame, California, and are designed to serve as the foundation for the company’s operational constellation of 258 satellites, known as Pulsar. Xona’s Pulsar satelliteImage Credits:Xona Space Systems under a Xona Space Systems license. Pulsar is expected to deliver centimeter-level precision for geolocation, surpassing the meter-level accuracy provided by GPS, and its signal is sufficiently strong to be detected within buildings and urban settings. Manning is also confident that its signal is potent enough to deter potential jammers and spoofers.
Once the satellites are in orbit and traversing the mid-latitudes approximately eight times daily, Xona can commence beta testing of Pulsar with actual customers. Ian Gough, CEO of TimeBeat, a company specializing in electronic timing, indicates that the initial pilot will enable his engineers to verify and adjust the timing provided by their devices globally. By 2028, Xona aims to achieve complete coverage across the U.S., Europe, Japan, and South Korea. Since its inception, Xona has secured over $300 million from venture investors, including $20 million from the U.S. Space Force. While the company is primarily focused on delivering a commercial service, the U.S. government has shown a keen interest in the technology, particularly as jamming and spoofing of satellite navigation services become increasingly prevalent in conflict situations.
With billions of potential users for a new precision timing signal, Xona is also anticipating a future characterized by increasing autonomy. Reid, whose thesis inspired the company and who currently serves as its CTO, has experience working on self-driving cars at Ford and recognizes that a service like Pulsar will be essential for unlocking the full potential of autonomous vehicles across various sectors. The view from Xona’s headquarters offers a striking panorama of planes landing at San Francisco International Airport. Observing the aircraft, Manning notes that among “all forms of mass transportation, civil aviation represents the gold standard for safety. We envision Xona and our developments playing a significant role in this domain … providing a service to vehicles, allowing drivers to feel as secure taking their hands off the wheel as they do reclining in an airliner.”
