Xona Space Systems targets financial markets with LEO navigation alternative to GPS

Xona Space Systems, a California-based startup, has outlined plans to launch six production Pulsar satellites in October 2026, marking a significant step toward establishing a low-Earth orbit (LEO) navigation alternative to the Global Positioning System. The company aims to deploy a full constellation of 258 satellites, which it claims will deliver signals 100 times stronger than current global navigation satellite systems. This increased signal power is designed to provide centimetre-level accuracy and enhanced resilience against jamming and spoofing, addressing vulnerabilities that affect commercial flights, maritime shipping, and smartphone applications.

Early service is expected to commence in 2027, with initial customers identified as financial markets, telecommunications, data centres, and transportation systems. These sectors require high-precision timing and positioning, with Xona projecting that its satellites will eventually deliver a timing reference accurate to within 10 nanoseconds. Unlike traditional GPS satellites that rely on expensive atomic clocks, Pulsar satellites will utilise a software-based solution for precision timing, potentially reducing costs while maintaining reliability.

The company has already launched its first prototype satellite, Pulsar-0, via a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission on July 1, 2025. Live-sky jamming tests across multiple countries have demonstrated that the stronger signal power can reduce a jammer’s effective area by 95 percent. Additionally, Xona has tested an anti-spoof watermark to authenticate signals and improved the prototype’s native positioning accuracy from a 4.2-centimetre ranging error to 1.5-centimetre accuracy through software updates.

To ensure compatibility with existing infrastructure, Xona announced the "Pulsar Verified" program on July 9, 2026. This initiative partners with major precision timing and navigation companies, including Trimble, Septentrio, STMicroelectronics, Safran, StarNav, and Keysight, to validate that existing hardware can receive Pulsar signals with only firmware or software updates. This approach contrasts with competitors like TrustPoint, which utilises C-band signals, by targeting compatibility with L1 or L5 band receivers commonly used for GPS.

Xona is transitioning from prototype testing to mass production, having contracted Belgian manufacturer Aerospacelab for initial payloads while developing its own in-house satellite bus at its Burlingame factory. Two in-house satellite buses are scheduled for the October 2026 launch and have undergone vibration testing. The company has also recruited Tim Graham, a former SpaceX engineering manager, to lead satellite development, aiming to streamline production and ensure compatibility with various launch providers to minimise costs and maximise deployment flexibility.