TrustPoint, a pioneer in next-generation space-based positioning and navigation solutions, announced it has been awarded a $4 million Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) contract to demonstrate a first-of-its-kind GPS-independent positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) system. The award, issued by SpaceWERX, the innovation arm of the United States Space Force, and jointly funded by the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and the Commercial Space Office (COMSO), supports a full end-to-end demonstration of TrustPoint’s resilient navigation architecture designed for defense and commercial applications.
Under the contract, TrustPoint will design, deploy, and operate a fully integrated PNT system comprising four satellites and four ground stations, delivering a complete operational architecture. The program will execute an end-to-end system demonstration, including live trilateration across multiple space and ground assets, operational services, and advanced receivers. With an accelerated execution timeline, initial system deployments will occur within 12 months, establishing a rapid deployment model designed to scale to significantly larger constellations while prioritizing affordability, operational relevance, and capital efficiency.
“We founded TrustPoint on the belief that resilient navigation does not require billion-dollar constellations,” said Patrick Shannon, founder and chief executive officer of TrustPoint. “This program will prove our technology’s GPS independence while demonstrating that real, operational PNT capability can be delivered with exceptional capital efficiency.”
Beyond GPS-independent C-band demonstrations, the system will validate a software-defined architecture that supports on-demand reconfiguration of navigation services in contested, degraded, and denied environments, pioneering commercial delivery of this capability. Building on TrustPoint’s world-first milestones, including the first C-band GNSS signal transmission with real-time reception and the first broadcast-based ground-to-space C-band PNT demonstration, the program directly advances national security objectives. It also establishes a scalable foundation for future commercial services, redefining what is possible for users who require reliable positioning, navigation, and timing in GPS-challenged environments.
