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Session A11: Satellite Experimentation: Commercial Satellite Sources 1

Analysis of Xona Pulsar-0 Receiver Data from Clean and GNSS-Denied Environments
Michael Scott Kimbrell, Septentrio, part of Hexagon
Location: Room 1-3
Date/Time: Wednesday, Jun. 3, 1:50 p.m.

In June 2025, Xona Space Systems launched the Pulsar-0 satellite, the first production spacecraft in their Low Earth Orbit (LEO) commercial constellation designed to provide resilient and precise Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) services. The satellite’s low orbital altitude results in signal dynamics and received power levels at user receivers that differ substantially from signals transmitted by other Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) constellations. Together with advanced signal design features, these characteristics are expected to provide increased inherent resilience to jamming and spoofing, making it appealing for Assured PNT (A-PNT) applications.
This presentation provides an analysis of Pulsar-0 field data collected using commercial multi-frequency satellite receivers. We first summarize the key orbital parameters of Pulsar-0 and provide a high-level overview of the transmitted X1 and X5 signals. Then we describe the commercial receiver platform, which supports all Pulsar-0 signal components, in addition to a wide range of other GNSS signals, and outputs observables and navigation data for all tracked systems.
The data analysis begins with measurements from a static receiver operating in a benign environment with an unobstructed sky view. Over several months, this receiver recorded numerous satellite passes spanning a wide range of azimuths, elevations, and signal dynamics. Analyzing the data enables a detailed assessment of fundamental performance metrics, such as carrier-to-noise density ratio. We also utilize advanced signal combinations to draw conclusions on tracking noise and ionospheric effects. We also evaluate performance of the Pulsar-0 data transmission channels.
The low altitude of Pulsar-0 significantly reduces path loss, resulting in received signal power levels substantially higher than those of GNSS. We demonstrate the resulting jamming resilience using field recordings collected during the Jammertest event in Norway in September 2025. Jammertest is a five-day annual campaign organized by a consortium of Norwegian governmental entities, during which receivers are subjected to sophisticated open-air jamming and spoofing scenarios. Pulsar-0 was transmitting during multiple passes over Norway throughout the event, including periods coincident with strong area jamming. We analyze the impact of these interference conditions on Pulsar-0 signals and compare the results with GPS signals recorded simultaneously by the same receiver.

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