Xona Pulsar Single-Satellite Positioning: System Perspective and Experimental Validation

Thyagaraja Marathe, Tyler G. R. Reid, Srinivas Tantry, Michael O'Meara

Peer Reviewed

Abstract:	Xona is deploying Pulsar, a low Earth orbit (LEO) commercial satellite navigation system designed to deliver resilient positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) in environments where traditional solutions fall short. Pulsar satellites broadcast dedicated navigation signals optimized for commercial users. This brings rapid geometry change, strong Doppler observability, and robust timing, enabling new approaches to positioning even when only one satellite is visible. Internet of Things (IoT) is an application where availability matters more than sub-meter accuracy, such as operations in urban canyons, semi-indoor spaces, or other constrained environments. Many of these applications involve platforms with strict size, weight, and power (SWaP) limitations, including battery-powered systems that cannot accommodate complex multi-sensor architectures. By leveraging the inherent dynamics and signal strength of LEO satellites, Pulsar offers a pathway to maintain navigation capability under these challenging conditions without requiring specialized user hardware. Here we present a single-satellite positioning (SSP) concept that uses all available measurements from Pulsar signals to estimate user position and receiver clock states without external aiding. In early phases of Pulsar deployment, there will be only one or two satellites in view, but this still brings value to stationary or near-stationary users. Along with the description of algorithmic details, there is emphasis on the system-level implications. SSP not only enables positioning when only one Pulsar satellite is visible, but also reduces reliance on dense constellations, and supports integration into resource-constrained platforms. We present both simulation and live sky testing results. First, simulations using a high-fidelity constellation simulator configured for Pulsar signals provide controlled performance assessment across diverse geometries and environmental conditions. Second, we include early findings from a Pulsar-enabled receiver, incorporating real observations from the Pulsar 0 satellite on orbit. Preliminary live testing of Pulsar-0 signals demonstrates achievable position accuracies at the meter level both outdoors and indoors, highlighting the system’s potential under varying reception conditions.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 2026 International Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation January 26 - 29, 2026 Hyatt Regency Orange County Anaheim, California
Pages:	142 - 154
Cite this article:	Marathe, Thyagaraja, Reid, Tyler G. R., Tantry, Srinivas, O'Meara, Michael, "Xona Pulsar Single-Satellite Positioning: System Perspective and Experimental Validation," Proceedings of the 2026 International Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation, Anaheim, California, January 2026, pp. 142-154. https://doi.org/10.33012/2026.20507
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