UK-based satellite Internet infrastructure provider OneWeb has launched a new solution for providing positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services to act as an alternative to the GPS standard.
The new platform, dubbed Astra, has been developed in response to concerns around the potential jamming of GPS services, which could pose a risk to systems within the aviation and defense sectors which rely on GPS services.
Astra is delivered as a turnkey system based on an outdoor receiver, which identifies the strongest PNT signal - including the GNSS satellite signal traditional GPS systems are based on as well as alternative PNT systems using satellite networks such as Iridium - in order to provide increased stability.
Eutelsat-owned OneWeb’s global satellite network was completed in March 2023, when the final batch of the company’s 618 low-earth orbit satellites were delivered into orbit via an Indian spacecraft launch. The service, which is being provided by the company’s US entity OneWeb Technologies, is intended to support military and government clients.
"Astra is a game-changer for defense users operating in difficult environments," said Kevin Steen, president and CEO of Eutelsat America Corporation and OneWeb Technologies. "Astra A-PNT ensures that mission-critical operations can continue seamlessly - enhancing both connectivity and situational performance - by providing a reliable alternative to traditional GPS/GNSS."
GPS jamming is becoming an increasing concern for military and civil operations. Jamming efforts by hostile actors could potentially allow them to cause significant disruption to daily life.
The reliability of satellite Internet services has come under increased scrutiny in recent years, after Elon Musk’s Starlink service found itself at the center of political tensions earlier this year. Starlink, which is part of Musk’s SpaceX business, has been supplying Ukrainian troops with Internet access since the start of Russia’s invasion of the country in 2022.
Ukrainian military figures have stated that Starlink is crucial to the country’s military logistics, but uncertainty over the extent of Musk and SpaceX’s willingness to allow the technology to be used for military purposes has raised questions over whether alternative platforms should be explored.
