Xona Space Systems has secured a landmark regulatory decision allowing it to transmit navigation signals in spectrum adjacent to GPS frequencies — a milestone that makes the startup the first commercial operator the Federal Communications Commission has approved to broadcast alongside sovereign navigation systems on those bands.
The approval is notable not just for access to the spectrum itself, but for what it permits Xona to do with it. According to reporting from SpaceNews, the authorization allows the company to transmit stronger signals than previously permitted. XenoSpectrum has reported that Xona's Pulsar system is designed to deliver signals up to 100 times stronger than those from existing GPS satellites.
Building Out the Constellation
Xona is developing a low Earth orbit network called Pulsar, targeting a constellation of approximately 250 satellites. The FCC has approved an orbital altitude of 510 kilometers for Pulsar-0, the program's initial satellite★, according to XenoSpectrum. The company has indicated deployment is expected to begin in late 2026. Unlike GPS and other global navigation satellite systems operated by national governments, Pulsar would be a fully commercial positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) infrastructure — a distinction that carries significant implications for both enterprise and defense customers seeking independence from government-controlled systems.
To support production at the scale a 250-satellite constellation requires, Xona has opened a dedicated manufacturing facility in Burlingame, California. Inside GNSS reported on the factory's opening earlier this year, framing it as a sign that the Pulsar program is transitioning from development toward operational readiness★.
A LEO-based alternative transmitting at higher power levels from a much closer orbital altitude could offer meaningfully better accuracy and resilience. Whether Xona can execute on that vision at scale, and whether it can attract the defense and commercial contracts needed to sustain a 250-satellite fleet, remain the central questions as it moves from regulatory approval into deployment.
★ AI inference: One or more analytical conclusions in this article were drawn by the AI from cited facts and are not directly stated in the cited sources.