Xona Space Systems Secures FCC Approval for First Commercial Navigation Satellite Signal

The US Federal Communications Commission has granted Xona Space Systems permission to transmit its proprietary Pulsar navigation signal from a planned constellation of more than 250 low‑Earth‑orbit satellites. The approval expands an earlier license for the demonstration satellite Pulsar‑0 to cover the full network, making Xona the only private operator authorized to broadcast a high‑power signal alongside government‑run systems such as GPS, Galileo, BeiDou and GLONASS.

Xona, based in Burlingame, California, says the Pulsar signal will be up to 100 times stronger than GPS while remaining compatible with existing L‑band receivers, using a cryptographic watermark to guard against spoofing. The company coordinated testing with the FCC, other US agencies, aviation groups and foreign governments to demonstrate that the signal will not interfere with navigation or aviation services. The first six production satellites are slated for launch in October, marking the debut of a commercial navigation service intended for devices and infrastructure that require more resilient positioning.