Astranis, a satellite manufacturer, and Xona Space Systems, a navigation startup, have joined forces to compete for a U.S. Space Force contract to develop a backup for the military’s GPS system.
California-based Astranis, known for its small geostationary satellites for internet connectivity, received an $8 million contract for the initial design phase of the Resilient Global Positioning System (R-GPS) program. The program aims to deploy smaller, more cost-effective satellites to augment the existing GPS constellation.
The U.S. Space Force selected four companies in September to submit competing designs, including Axient, L3 Harris, and Sierra Space alongside Astranis. One or two contractors will be chosen to build an initial fleet of eight satellites, slated for launch in 2028.
Astranis is designing an R-GPS network that utilizes its existing satellite platform and incorporates positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) algorithms developed by Xona Space. These 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, establishing 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, highlighting the increasing electronic and cyber threats to the current GPS infrastructure. The new satellites will broadcast military M-Code signals in addition to standard GPS frequencies.
Xona Space, also based in California, contributes expertise from its development of a commercial PNT service using low-Earth orbit satellites, serving as an alternative to traditional GPS.
The four R-GPS prime contractors have approximately six to eight months to finalize their design concepts.