TrustPoint Successfully Transmits GPS-Independent Navigation Signals from Orbit
The milestone advances resilient space-based timing and navigation beyond GPS.
TrustPoint, a pioneer in next-generation space-based positioning and navigation solutions, has successfully transmitted its first Low Earth Orbit Navigation System (LEONS) time-transfer and tracking signals from a compact TrustPoint ground node to spacecraft in orbit. This milestone marks a critical step toward achieving GPS independence, accelerating the advancement of TrustPoint’s next-generation commercial navigation infrastructure, and strengthening the company’s ability to deliver resilient, precise, and globally available positioning and timing when it matters most.
To deliver accurate time and position to users on Earth, GNSS satellites must first know their own time and orbital state. Today, most LEO spacecraft depend on GPS or heritage MEO signals for that information, but growing interference and jamming are increasingly affecting LEO, degrading or denying those links. TrustPoint’s LEONS eliminates that vulnerability. Originally developed to power TrustPoint’s own constellation, LEONS delivers GPS-independent time transfer and orbit tracking, and is designed to scale for other LEO operators seeking resilient timing and navigation for their space systems. This demonstrated ground-to-space infrastructure lays the foundation for a more robust, GPS-independent position, navigation, and timing (PNT) layer in orbit, paving the way for fully independent PNT for users on Earth.
“With the pace of modern threats accelerating, the difference between concepts and capabilities matters," said Nicole Hilliard, Director of Government Programs at TrustPoint. "This milestone demonstrates that commercial partners can field resilient, GPS-independent PNT capabilities that strengthen national security architectures and justify continued investment in companies that deliver.”
This demonstration is a major step forward in TrustPoint’s contributions to the SpaceWERX AltPNT Challenge. The challenge awarded the company two contracts to accelerate the transition of alternative PNT capabilities from concept to deployment. The program aims to rapidly field new, resilient options for precise, dual-use PNT.
