David Mitlyng for Xairos

Going Nowhere Fast
For two decades we have been waiting for a replacement for GPS.
When the infamous Volpe Report came out in 2001, GPS was already deemed critical but vulnerable.
In the two decades since there have been nothing but talk. And studies. And lots of hand wringing.
Everyone else is moving on. Russia, China, and Europe have their own (possibly better) GPS.
With their own system, they don’t think twice about jamming, spoofing, or threatening GPS with missiles.
Spurred on by this sabre rattling, there may finally be some momentum towards action.
For one, there is funding to develop a timing alternative.
There is also a convergence of technology to build something much better.
But there is also a pent-up market need.
For all the talk about self-driving vehicles, 6G, and quantum networks, they will not happen with GPS.
Something better is needed.

Last Week's Theme: Freedom to Grow

• Welcome to Dr. Raphael Pooser! Raphael is joining Nino De Falcis on the Xairos Board of Advisors, bringing his depth of quantum experience as Distinguished Research Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to guide our technical development.
• Seed round is closing September 30! You can check out our Q&A session tomorrow (Wednesday, September 21) at 4 pm ET to learn more:
  • You can register here.
  • Or add to your Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar or Yahoo Calendar.
  • We will record the session in case you miss it.
  • Also feel free to email us directly with questions.
• Joined the Quantum Investor panel as part of the Entrepreneurship Workshop at IEEE Quantum Week. Thank you Joanne Wong for the good discussion!
• With a small amount of funding, we built a Proof-of-Concept (POC). The goals of the POC were to move development out of the lab using commercially available hardware, improve our algorithm and software, and generally advance our technology development. Check out this short demo video.

• There has long been concern that Ligado Networks could potentially cause GPS interference once they launch their system. To assess this concern, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) released a report claiming that most GPS receivers will not experience “significant harmful interference." "However, the report admits, some will be affected."
• The Space Development Agency (SDA) is working with the Department of Defense to develop the National Defense Space Architecture Experimental Testbed (NExT) initiative that could lead to the launch of government-furnished alternative position, navigation, and timing payloads in 2024.
• To prepare for electronic warfare including satellite jamming, the Space Force is developing "Black Skies" and "Red Skies" training exercises.
• The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program remains at risk of being defunded by the end of the month. This despite a 2019 Defense Department study that found that SBIR funds delivered a "22-to-1 return on investment, $28 billion in sales to the military and $347 billion in economic impact over 23 years."

• IEEE Quantum Week 2022, September 18 - 23, Broomfield, CO
• Quantum Industry Day, October 4, Zurich, Switzerland
• ICSO 2022, October 6 - 7, Dubrovnik, Croatia
• APSCC 2022, October 18 - 20, Seoul, Korea
• Tough Tech Summit, October 27 - 28, Boston, MA
• International Timing and Sync Forum, November 7 - 10, Dusseldorf, Germany
• Photonics West and Quantum West, January 28 - February 2, San Francisco, CA

Recently the Department of Transportation (DOT) hosted a Complementary PNT Industry Roundtable.
The goals were laid out in the opening remarks by the DOT Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology and Chief Science Officer:
"Critical infrastructure sectors such as communication, banking, the electric grid, and dams rely on the promise of improved accuracy and resilience of PNT technologies...We also know as GPS technology advances, the number of threats to the system increase and we need to take the bullseye off of GPS."
The roundtable was attended by a range of government and industry representatives that are impacted by GPS, gathering the perspectives from DOT and other government researchers, vendors and critical infrastructure users.
But some industry representatives weren't impressed: "They have been studying this for over twenty years. The Volpe report came out in 2001. And there have been lots of studies since then. All have just been refinements of those original findings.”

To learn more, please email us or schedule a meeting here.