An experimental satellite has mapped the widespread scale of GPS signal tampering from space for the first time, showing that spacecraft orbiting hundreds of miles above Earth are not immune to signal jamming. The findings come from Pulsar-0, a test satellite operated by California-based startup Xona Space Systems. As detailed by Space.com, the satellite currently orbits 310 miles above the planet, acting as a precursor to a larger constellation of 300 spacecraft the company plans to deploy in low Earth orbit.
Traditional global navigation satellite systems, including the United States GPS network, orbit at altitudes above 12,000 miles. Because these satellites are so far away, the signals they send to devices on the ground are relatively weak, making them prime targets for jamming and spoofing. The Xona team discovered the extent of the problem after turning on a GPS receiver aboard the Pulsar-0 satellite, expecting some interference but finding the reality far more intense than anticipated.
When the satellite passes over North America, the team sees a clean, consistent signal. The experience changes once the spacecraft moves over other parts of the globe. “As soon as we started doing any operations above Europe, we noticed that there was really something going on there,” said Kaz Gunning, co-founder of Xona Space Systems, adding that the company expected some jamming but found “quite a bit more than we expected.”
In some of the most heavily affected regions, GPS signal strength dropped from a standard 40 decibels down to just 10 decibels.
The data shows signal degradation occurring across a corridor stretching from France in the west to the borders of Pakistan in the east. This is a significant issue because satellites in low Earth orbit, including those used for Starlink, rely on these signals to determine their position and avoid colliding with other objects in space.
As Gunning noted, “You lose the GPS capability as soon as you pass over these regions.” If a satellite cannot get a solid GPS lock, it cannot accurately point its antennas or maintain its altitude, which becomes a major issue for operators given that jamming and spoofing have become a global concern over the last five years.
These tactics are frequently used by warring parties to deflect drone attacks or hide the positions of vessels, and they have also been used along Russia’s western borders to block drone activity, affecting thousands of commercial flights every month. Some of these dynamics echo a separate dispute involving a Starlink kill switch decision that affected Russian forces earlier this year. Natural events can cause similar disruption, as the Gannon superstorm in May 2024 distorted signals enough to knock out precision farming equipment for days at a time.
This is part of why Xona is working to get its Pulsar constellation into orbit, having already broadcast the first fully authenticated satellite navigation signal in 2025. The company plans to launch a batch of six satellites this October to begin building out its network, with a goal of providing a signal 100 times stronger than what is currently in use.
That increase in strength would significantly shrink the radius in which jammers can effectively disrupt operations, which matters given how rapidly the orbital environment is filling up, a trend also reflected in a recent report on SpaceX’s million satellite plan. Xona recently secured $170 million in a Series C funding round, according to Xona Space Systems, to scale up production at its facility in Burlingame, California.
If the plan holds, the company hopes to begin delivering basic service by early 2027. Max Eunice, head of communications at Xona, said some early customers in timekeeping could start using Pulsar by the end of this year with intermittent coverage.
Published: Jun 20, 2026 09:45 am