LEO Navigation Partnership Targets Industrial GPS Gaps
Murata and Xona Space Systems to Explore Satellite PNT Solutions for 5G, Construction, and Agriculture
Two companies are combining electronics hardware expertise and low Earth orbit navigation technology in a new agreement to develop positioning and timing solutions for industries where conventional GPS consistently falls short.
Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. and Xona Space Systems, Inc. signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop products and solutions that integrate Murata’s component capabilities with Xona’s LEO-based positioning, navigation, and timing service, known as Pulsar.
Positioning, navigation, and timing — collectively referred to as PNT — is foundational infrastructure for modern communications networks, industrial equipment, autonomous mobility, and consumer devices. Most of that infrastructure today runs through the Global Navigation Satellite System, or GNSS, which relies on satellites orbiting in medium Earth orbit. Those satellites circle between roughly 1,240 and 22,370 miles above Earth.
That distance creates a persistent set of problems. Signals arriving from MEO satellites are relatively weak by the time they reach the ground. In dense urban environments, buildings block and scatter those signals, reducing accuracy and availability. The systems are also increasingly vulnerable to deliberate interference — jamming that overwhelms receivers and spoofing that feeds false position data.
LEO satellites orbit between approximately 310 and 1,240 miles above Earth. At that altitude, signals arrive with greater strength. The faster orbital speed of LEO satellites also means receivers can collect observation data more quickly, which shortens the time needed to resolve an accurate position fix and reduces the positioning errors caused by signal reflections in urban canyons.
Xona’s Pulsar network is designed from the ground up as a dedicated PNT service, not a broadband communications constellation repurposed for navigation. The company says Pulsar targets centimeter-level positioning accuracy and is built to be compatible with existing GNSS receivers. Users would integrate Pulsar signals alongside their current GPS or GNSS equipment rather than rip and replace existing hardware.
Murata brings a different set of capabilities to the collaboration. The Japanese electronics manufacturer has long-standing expertise in high-frequency and wireless communications components, sensors, timing devices, and multi-function module design. Those technologies sit at the intersection of what a ground-based PNT receiver needs to translate satellite signals into actionable data.
Under the MOU, the two companies will explore how Murata’s hardware portfolio can be combined with Pulsar’s LEO signal architecture to produce products and solutions optimized for specific industrial applications.
Two market segments have been identified as near-term priorities. The first is data centers and financial institutions. Both sectors depend on highly accurate timing synchronization — data centers to coordinate distributed computing loads, and financial firms to timestamp transactions with precision required under regulatory frameworks. As 5G networks expand and 6G development advances, that timing dependency grows more acute.
The second target sector is off-road industrial machinery, including construction equipment and agricultural vehicles. These machines operate in environments where tree canopy, terrain, and the absence of cellular infrastructure already complicate GNSS use. A LEO-based PNT layer with stronger signals and faster convergence times would address a gap that has limited the deployment of autonomous and precision-guided systems in those sectors.
The MOU formalizes what has been an ongoing relationship. Murata invested in Xona through WONDERSTONE Ventures, its corporate venture capital arm, prior to the signing. The new agreement moves that financial relationship into active joint product development.
Murata has identified the space domain as a growth area. The company said it intends to continue advancing foundational technologies in positioning and timing synchronization as part of a broader strategy to contribute to communications and industrial infrastructure development.
Financial terms and a development timeline were not disclosed.