Xona Space Systems received conditional Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval to operate its Pulsar L-band navigation signals commercially via a proposed 258-satellite low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellation.
“With this authorization, Xona will become the only FCC-authorized private navigation constellation to operate next to nation-state systems from the United States, Europe, China, and Russia,” Xona noted in a statement. “By broadcasting a new proprietary signal adjacent to GPS, Pulsar has demonstrated it can integrate into many existing receivers without requiring an entirely new hardware ecosystem.”
– Xona
The FCC initially authorized Xona to deploy 16 spacecraft, with further approval to be based on an updated orbital-debris assessment. Thereafter, the company must orbit half its total constellation by July 2032, with the whole constellation needing to be up and running by July 2035.
Xona intends to launch its first six satellites in October, and is scaling its Burlingame, California-based facility to mass produce the Pulsar satellite. The expansion proceeds a $170 million Series C funding round from March led by Mohari Ventures Natural Capital. Before that round, the company reported it had raised $150 million after a Series B in July 2025 led by Craft Ventures.
