Image: Xona Space Systems
Blog Editor’s Note: You have likely already seen this by now in GPS World, a press release from one of the companies, or other media outlet. A nice partnership, but some might think it is not that worthy of note. – Full disclosure, both Xona and NovAtel are RNT Foundation members.
Yet there are those, particularly in government, who worry that if new PNT signals become available there might not be receivers around to use them. We have always thought that this was particularly useless handwringing. If signals are available, someone will want to use them and someone will build receivers to do that.
Why would PNT receiver manufacturers not want to include additional signals in their equipment? It creates a whole new “next generation” of equipment and services new users and market.
The partnership in the article below is a good, though niche example.
We spoke with Adrian Stimpson, Business Development Manager, Positioning Services, at NovAtel. His take:
“LEO constellations such as Xona’s Pulsar service provide exciting new capabilities for assured PNT. These include increased satellite visibility, stronger signals and signal authentication. The rapidly changing geometry and greater doppler shift measurements with a low Earth orbit also bring a new level of accuracy that is critical for autonomous navigation. As a provider of positioning technology and services, Hexagon | NovAtel continues to innovate with companies like Xona on technologies able to be integrated into a wide range of applications and markets where PNT resilience is required,”
Hard to imagine receiver availability ever being an issue.
Hexagon | NovAtel joins Xona on assured PNT LEO constellation
The launch of Xona’s test satellite begins a new era of innovation in assured PNT, with NovAtel receivers demonstrating early support of Xona’s signals
Hexagon | NovAtel has signed a memorandum of understanding with Xona Space Systems to collaborate in the positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) development of Xona’s new low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellation.
LEO constellations offer a new avenue of assuring PNT by providing stronger signals with satellites closer to Earth and improved positioning accuracy with rapidly changing geometry, NovAtel explained. Additional constellations and a larger number of available satellites improve visibility in cases where parts of the sky are obstructed by buildings and other obstacles.
