Astranis partners with Xona Space for U.S. military GPS backup program (Image Credit: Space News)
WASHINGTON — Satellite manufacturer Astranis announced Nov. 1 it is teaming up with navigation startup Xona Space Systems to compete for a U.S. Space Force contract aimed at developing a backup to the military’s GPS system.
California-based Astranis, which builds small geostationary satellites for internet connectivity, secured an $8 million contract for the initial design phase of the Resilient Global Positioning System (R-GPS) program, which seeks to deploy smaller, more cost-effective satellites to supplement the existing GPS constellation.
The U.S. Space Force selected four companies in September to develop competing designs, including Axient, L3 Harris, and Sierra Space alongside Astranis. One or two contractors will be selected to build an initial fleet of eight satellites, scheduled for launch in 2028.
Astranis is designing an R-GPS network leveraging its existing satellite platform. and integrating positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) algorithms developed by Xona Space. The algorithms will run on Astranis’ software-defined radio hardware.
The R-GPS initiative envisions a fleet of proliferated small satellites capable of transmitting GPS signals, creating a layer of redundancy within the broader GPS infrastructure. The program could expand to as many as 24 satellites, each projected to cost between $50 million and $80 million.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has designated R-GPS as a high-priority initiative, citing growing electronic and cyber threats to the current GPS infrastructure. The new satellites will broadcast military M-Code signals as well as standard GPS frequencies.
Xona Space, also based in California, brings expertise from its development of a commercial PNT service using low-Earth orbit satellites, designed to serve as an alternative to traditional GPS.
The four R-GPS prime contractors have approximately six to eight months to complete their design concepts.