American company Xona Space Systems is developing the Pulsar satellite navigation system, designed as an alternative to GPS. Unlike existing global navigation systems that operate from higher orbits, Pulsar will use satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), delivering a signal 100 times more powerful and significantly improving positioning accuracy.
The first six production-model Pulsar satellites are scheduled to launch into orbit as early as October, with the company aiming to debut commercial services in 2027. The full constellation will consist of 258 spacecraft. Once fully deployed, Xona claims it will be able to determine coordinates with centimeter-level precision anywhere on Earth.
A stronger signal should enable the system to function where GPS falls short: in dense urban areas, beneath thick vegetation, and inside buildings. Additionally, Xona aims to enhance navigation resilience against jamming and signal spoofing.
The first satellite, Pulsar-0, launched in July 2025 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, has already been used in anti-jamming tests across several countries. According to Xona, the increased signal power reduced the jammer’s effective range by 95%.
Beyond navigation, Pulsar is expected to provide highly accurate time synchronization for financial markets, telecommunications, data centers, and transportation systems. The company plans to achieve time signal accuracy of up to 10 nanoseconds using software-based methods, rather than relying on the expensive atomic clocks installed on GPS satellites.
Building a system in low Earth orbit requires significantly more satellites than traditional Medium Earth Orbit navigation constellations. However, declining costs of satellite manufacturing and launches have made such projects viable. Xona intends to produce most of its satellites in-house at a facility in California and is already developing its own satellite platform.
Xona is also working to ensure Pulsar’s compatibility with existing infrastructure. The company says that many receivers for GPS and other navigation systems will be able to pick up the Pulsar signal after a software update, without requiring hardware replacement. It has already launched a compatibility verification program with navigation equipment manufacturers.
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