Xona Space Systems, the CA-based startup building a commercial GPS alternative, is entering its scale-up phase.
The company announced a $170M Series C yesterday in its aim to accelerate the deployment of its Pulsar GPS constellation, and meet the rising need for highly-precise, unhackable PNT signals around the globe.
Mohari Ventures and Natural Capital led the round, which included additional support from Craft Ventures, ICONIQ, Woven Capital, NGP Capital, Samsung Next, and Hexagon. The round was a big step up for the company, which raised a $92M Series B in June.
Dude, where’s my car? Xona has spent the past few years building and demonstrating its ability to transmit PNT signals in LEO that are stronger, more accurate, and more secure than traditional GPS. Last year, the company broadcast a commercial satellite navigation signal for its first time—demonstrating record breaking accuracy, according to the company. Now, the focus is all about scaling—and doing so as rapidly as possible to compete with sovereign alternatives.
“Other countries are rapidly investing in next-generation positioning systems in LEO,” Xona CEO Brian Manning said in a statement. “The question isn’t whether navigation infrastructure will evolve. It’s who builds it, and who controls it.”
The focus isn’t all on building a secure alternative for government applications, however. Xona sees its private PNT constellation as a solution for a new wave of modern technology that increasingly relies on accurate, lossless GPS—including autonomous machines, robotics, and agricultural infrastructure.
At a time when GPS signals are increasingly being spoofed and jammed, Xona’s aim is to build a global system of reliable navigation sats to ensure that the global economy keeps humming, even in the most complex scenarios. The company’s tech is designed to work on everyday systems, often requiring nothing more than a software update, and targets centimeter-level accuracy with signals strong enough to penetrate warehouses.
And then? Xona plans to build and deploy a constellation of 258 sats, with the first US sats launching this year. The company also plans to grow its product, engineering, and supply chain teams.
The constellation will come online with the help of an international network, with manufacturers and partners across Europe and Asia, and offices spread across the US, Canada, and the UK.
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WASHINGTON—NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has one message: Get in, we’re going to the Moon.
Isaacman travelled around the nation’s capital this week, delivering this same message to different sectors of the space community, including NASA’s industry and international partners, Silicon Valley tech execs, and officials focused on the agency’s global-soft-power capability. Reactions are mixed, but one thing is clear: Isaacman’s NASA is making big shifts to change the conversation.
Century club: Isaacman will mark his 100th day on the job on Saturday. After taking office in December, he kicked off a listening tour to visit centers and hear from employees. Once that was done, he wasted no time—and made no apologies—for shaping the agency into his mold for success.
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