PNT by Other Means: Xona Space Systems – GPS World

by | Jul 12, 2023 | Blog

Image: Xona Space Systems

What’s New: Interesting discussion of Xona Space Systems’ business aspirations and a bit about their technology.

Why It’s Important:

  • LEO PNT satellites offer greater accuracy and power. The added power and potential for frequency diversity adds resilience.
  • The industry/community seems headed toward using a combination of PNT sources. Signals from LEO clearly have a role.
    • Note the Xona comment at the end of the article: “The idea of having another LEO-based constellation is to take advantage of what can be done in LEO for GNSS. It’s not intended to replace ground-based systems or alternative systems. If you want the most resilient time and position, you need to use a combination of everything.”

What To Know:

  • There are several LEO PNT players in the U.S. market and at least one company in China.
  • It will be all about making the business case work. Will enough folks purchase/subscribe to the service?
  • The European Union is experimenting with LEO PNT. It is unclear if it will be a government-sponsored system like Galileo with service free to users.
  • The U.S. Space Development Agency is looking at LEO PNT for military use.
  • Full disclosure: Xona is a corporate member and supporter of the RNT Foundation.

 

PNT by Other Means: Xona Space Systems

July 5, 2023  – By 

An exclusive interview with Jaime Jaramillo, Director of Commercial Services, Xona Space Systems. For more exclusive interviews from this cover story, click here. 

Image: Xona Space Systems

Space X Launch. (Image: Xona Space Systems)

It has been said that “the only alternative to a GNSS is another GNSS”. Your website’s homepage claims that Xona will be “the next generation of GNSS.” Will it provide all the positioning navigation and timing services that the four existing GNSS provide?

JJ: The answer at a high level is “Yes, it will provide all the services that legacy GNSS provides and more.” Xona is developing a dedicated constellation of PNT satellites in Low Earth Orbit — this allows us to provide PNT signals and service with significant improvements to precision, protection, and power compared to what’s available today. Xona’s service, called PULSAR, is designed to meet a variety of commercial and modern applications that have been seeking performance improvements.

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