California-based Xona announced on August 4 that the US Federal Communications Commission has authorized its full low Earth orbit satellite constellation to transmit the world’s first commercial navigation signal alongside GPS. That spacecraft became the first commercial satellite permitted to transmit radionavigation signals in the L-band spectrum used alongside GPS. It also positions the company as the only FCC-authorized private navigation constellation designed to operate beside government-run systems from the United States, Europe, China, and Russia. “A commercial company had never built a system like Pulsar, and no one had been authorized to introduce a new, high-power navigation signal alongside GPS. However, transmitting at higher power near GPS required Xona to show regulators that Pulsar would not disrupt existing navigation or aviation services.