Belgium-based satellite positioning firm Septentrio, part of the Swedish technology group Hexagon, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with California’s Xona Space Systems to accelerate the adoption of next-generation satellite navigation technologies that promise higher accuracy and resilience than today’s Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS).
The partnership follows the recent successful launch of Pulsar-0, Xona’s first production-class low-Earth orbit (LEO) positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) satellite. Within days of launch, Septentrio engineers began tracking and analysing Pulsar signals—an early step towards validating Xona’s commercial service.
Under the agreement, the two companies will conduct joint testing and validation of the Pulsar system, which Xona claims can deliver centimetre-level positioning accuracy, signals up to 100 times stronger than traditional GNSS, and enhanced protection against jamming and spoofing attacks.
The collaboration aims to accelerate the development of commercial receivers and hybrid GNSS-LEO navigation systems, with potential applications across autonomous vehicles, drones, precision agriculture, construction, mining, robotics, and critical infrastructure.
“This agreement marks an important step towards meeting the growing demand for robust, high-precision navigation in challenging environments,” said Jan Van Hees, Vice-President of Business Development at Septentrio.
Brian Manning, Chief Executive of Xona Space Systems, added that the partnership “underscores a shared vision to unlock the potential of hybrid GNSS-LEO navigation and deliver the reliability modern industries require.”
Xona’s LEO-based Pulsar constellation is designed to complement traditional satellite systems such as GPS, Galileo, and BeiDou. Its lower orbital altitude allows for stronger, faster signals that can penetrate urban canyons, forests, and even indoor environments—areas where conventional GNSS performance typically degrades.
The deal reflects a growing industry trend towards multi-orbit, multi-signal navigation architectures, as companies and governments seek alternatives to mitigate the vulnerabilities of legacy satellite systems to interference and spoofing.
Founded in Leuven, Septentrio develops high-precision, multi-frequency GNSS receivers for industrial applications including robotics, surveying, maritime, and logistics. The company operates globally with offices in Los Angeles, Shanghai, Seoul, and Yokohama.
Hexagon, Septentrio’s parent company, employs roughly 24,800 people in 50 countries and reported net sales of about €5.4bn in 2024.
Xona Space Systems, based in Burlingame, California, is developing the Pulsar constellation—described as the world’s most advanced LEO PNT system—to deliver real-time, centimetre-level positioning anywhere on Earth.
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