Pulsar-0 (First Production-Class Satellite)
Xona Space Systems
Xona's first production-class Pulsar satellite, launched June 2025, validating in-orbit PNT signal performance ahead of full constellation deployment.
Technical specifications
- Launch date
- 2025-06-23
- Launch vehicle/mission
- SpaceX Falcon 9, Transporter-14 rideshare (Cape Canaveral)
- Manufacturer
- Aerospacelab (Versatile Satellite Platform / VSP bus)
- Operator
- Xona Space Systems
- Propulsion
- None onboard (omitted to expedite launch)
- Power
- Solar cells and batteries
- Design lifetime
- ~5 years (nominal VSP bus rating)
- Signal strength
- Up to 100x stronger received power than legacy GPS
- Positioning accuracy
- Better than 10 cm real-time with corrections
About
Pulsar-0 is the pathfinder production satellite for Xona’s Pulsar constellation, built in partnership with satellite manufacturer Aerospacelab on its Versatile Satellite Platform (VSP). It launched June 23, 2025 aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-14 rideshare mission and is Xona’s first satellite intended to represent the design that will be mass-produced for the operational constellation, following the earlier Huginn technology demonstrator launched in 2022.
After completing in-orbit commissioning, Pulsar-0 broadcast what Xona describes as the first fully authenticated satellite navigation signal ever transmitted from Low Earth Orbit, with received signal strength up to 100x that of legacy GPS and real-time positioning accuracy the company states can exceed 10 cm when used with GNSS corrections. The satellite was launched without an onboard propulsion system – a deliberate trade-off to keep the launch schedule on track amid supply-chain constraints.
Pulsar-0 is being used to validate range authentication, anti-jam performance, and signal penetration in occluded/urban environments with more than a dozen commercial receiver partners already tracking its signals, paving the way for higher-cadence launches as Xona scales toward its full constellation.
Documentation
No public datasheet yet — request the datasheet / ICD from the supplier.
