Murata Manufacturing, Xona Space Systems Sign MOU for LEO PNT Product Development

Murata Manufacturing and Xona Space Systems signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop products and solutions combining Murata’s component and module expertise with Xona’s Pulsar low Earth orbit positioning, navigation and timing service — a partnership that extends an existing investment relationship into commercial product development.

Murata had previously invested in Xona through WONDERSTONE Ventures, its corporate venture capital arm. The MOU moves the relationship downstream toward hardware, pairing Murata’s capabilities in high-frequency communications, sensors, timing devices and module design with Xona’s LEO-based PNT infrastructure.

Xona’s Pulsar service is built on a dedicated LEO constellation designed to deliver significantly stronger signals than conventional GNSS, with centimeter-level positioning accuracy, faster convergence times, reduced multipath error and improved performance in urban and indoor environments. Pulsar is designed for GNSS compatibility, enabling integration with existing user equipment as a complement rather than a replacement.

The two companies identified data centers and financial institutions requiring precise timing synchronization for 5G and 6G communications infrastructure, and off-road construction and agricultural machinery operating in environments where GNSS availability is limited, as near-term application targets.

Murata described the space domain as a new growth area, framing the partnership as part of a broader commitment to advancing positioning and timing synchronization as foundational technology across communications infrastructure, industrial equipment, mobility and consumer IoT. The company’s scale — it is among the world’s largest manufacturers of passive electronic components — gives the partnership potential reach across global industrial supply chains that few LEO PNT agreements to date have carried.

The announcement follows Xona’s appearance in GPS Innovation Alliance testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology last week, where GPSIA executive director Lisa Dyer cited six Xona satellite launches planned for this fall and called on Congress to urge FCC approval of the company’s pending radionavigation-satellite service license application.

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