Hexagon | NovAtel has signed an MoU with Xona Space Systems to collaborate on PNT development of Xona’s new Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation.
Xona, which recently launched a test satellite on SpaceX’s Transporter 5, says that LEO constellations offer a new, and better, way of assuring PNT by providing stronger signals with satellites closer to the Earth. The process includes improved positioning accuracy with rapidly changing geometry, the company said.
Because Xona’s new constellation would transmit encrypted signals on two frequencies, which offer authentication, new levels of resilience against malicious interference will be built, the company said.
“This agreement accelerates the future of alternative PNT,” said Sandy Kennedy, vice president of innovation at Hexagon’s Autonomy & Positioning division, in a statement.
Last year, San Mateo, Calif.-based Xona Space Systems raised $8 million for its proposed independent LEO satellite navigation services. The funding round, led by Seraphim Space Investment Trust [SSIT] and MaC Venture Capital.
Other Xona investors include Toyota Ventures, u-blox co-founder Daniel Ammann and Ryan Johnson, former BlackBridge CEO and operator of the Rapideye constellation. Follow-on investors also include 1517 Fund and Stellar Solutions, the company said.
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