Xona launches first six satellites of its Pulsar navigation network
Xona Space Systems · Aerospacelab · SpaceX
The batch, Xona's largest yet, starts commercial testing of a GPS alternative it says is accurate to under 2 centimeters.
what happened
Xona Space Systems launched six Pulsar satellites aboard SpaceX's Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission in October 2026, its largest deployment to date and the start of a planned 258-satellite constellation. Four of the satellites use a navigation-adapted bus from Belgian manufacturer Aerospacelab, while two, designated PTS-1 and PTS-2, were designed and built in-house at Xona's Burlingame, California facility. Xona says the system already demonstrates better than 2cm positioning accuracy, and that early customers in the US, Canada, and Europe will begin receiving test broadcasts from the initial four satellites, each lasting about 25 minutes, eight times a day.
why it matters
Xona pitches Pulsar as a commercial alternative to GPS for applications needing jam- and spoof-resistant positioning, such as critical timing infrastructure. Moving from a single demonstration satellite to a six-satellite batch, with customers already testing the signal, is the clearest sign yet that the company's FCC-approved 250-satellite network is moving from paper to orbit.
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- Xona Space Systems, Aerospacelab, SpaceX
- Category
- constellation
- Impact
- notable
- SNR
- 4 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-10-20
- Published
- 2026-10-20 22:13 UTC