Xona Space Systems is a space company that utilizes low Earth orbit satellites to provide precision navigation and timing systems. A global team of 30 people is launching the first low Earth orbit navigation satellite mission to verify the use of small satellites carrying payloads and provide high-quality commercial low Earth orbit PNT signals. This mission includes two satellites, Huginn and Muninn. The first satellite, Huginn, has completed testing and was delivered to Spaceflight Inc. for final integration. It will be launched by SpaceX on May 25, 2022. Xona is building its first independentHigh performanceSatellite navigation and timing systems are used to meet the requirements of intelligent systems.

Huginn satellite

Huginn will broadcast navigation signals in the L-band and C-band, providingrangingAnd navigation data, including GNSS calibration. It is expected that in low Earth orbit, even rapid geometric changes of just one satellite can greatly accelerate the convergence of GNSS PPP, reducing convergence time by half or more.

If there are more LEO satellites in the future, the convergence time is expected to be shortened by five times or more, without the need for local infrastructure to achieve rapid PPP convergence, thus bringing a truly global solution. These experimental PNT signals will also provide security to mitigate the threat of deception, using NIST standardized AES and ECDSA algorithms for code and data authentication. Huginn is software reprogrammable, providing flexible payloads on orbit, allowing Xona to test other advanced features as well.

Traditional satellite navigation systems, such as GPS and Galileo, have always been government led and cost billions of dollars. With the development of commercial aerospace, satellite costs have decreased by several orders of magnitude, and a new wave of forces has emerged in the fields of satellite communication and Earth observation. Xona mainly focuses on satellite navigation and timing with the help of the new space ecosystem.

Xona Space currently launches the Huginn satellite, which is the company's Pulsar constellation verification star. Unlike GPS constellations, Pulsar uses low Earth orbit satellites that are small but powerful, with altitudes more than 20 times closer to Earth than GPS, providing high-performance navigation and timing services. Pulsar combines modern security and signal design with Xona's patented distributed atomic clock architecture, providing powerful and precise navigation services through low-cost satellites.

Huginn will transmit the first batch of precise data from LEO satellitesNavigation signalTest and validate the core software and hardware technologies developed by Xona for Pulsar. The mission will also demonstrate the functionality of user devices on Earth and support ground systems.

After the launch of Huginn, Xona will shift its focus to the second demonstration mission and the development of the Block I Pulsar system. The final Pulsar constellation will be composed of hundreds of low earth orbit satellites, providing safe and powerful precision PNT services, aiming to meet the needs of advanced applications such as autonomous vehicle, precision agriculture and architecture, augmented reality, and key infrastructure.

Schematic diagram of protection range for autonomous driving (30cm, 6 σ)

Xona's Pulsar Precision LEO PNT (Positioning, Navigation, and Timing) service utilizes the latest advances in small satellite technology to provide users with a safe and reliable alternative to traditional GNSS. Xona is applying for a patent for a system architecture that utilizes the efficiency of small satellites to provide a cost-effective global system. Compared to traditional systems, its accuracy has increased by more than 10 times and its interference suppression capability has increased by 100 times. Pulsar is the first independent high-performance satellite navigation and timing system designed to meet the needs ofintelligent systemThe demand.