17 Navigation & Positioning companies in United States
Space Atlas lists 17 organisations in United States working in navigation & positioning: 4 research institutions, 4 startups, 4 government agencies, 3 academic institutions, 2 private companies. That is 3% of the 526 space organisations in United States and 22% of the 76 in this sector worldwide. Most are based in Boulder (2), Stanford (2), Washington (2).
Government Agency (4)
- National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) · Government Agency · Springfield
US intelligence and combat support agency — produces geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) from satellite imagery and buys commercial EO data.
- U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC) · Government Agency · Huntsville
US Army command at Redstone Arsenal — provides Army space forces, satellite communications and missile defense capabilities and space R&D.
- United States Naval Observatory (USNO) · Government Agency · Washington
US Navy scientific agency — provides precise time, Earth orientation and astrometric data underpinning GPS and DoD navigation and timing.
- United States Space Force (USSF) · Government Agency · Arlington
Space service branch of the US Armed Forces within the Department of the Air Force — organises, trains and equips forces for military space operations.
Research Institution (4)
- Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research (CCAR) · Research Institution · Boulder
University of Colorado Boulder research centre — studies orbit determination, satellite geodesy, GNSS and remote sensing from space.
- Draper (Charles Stark Draper Laboratory) · Research Institution · Cambridge
American non-profit engineering laboratory — develops guidance, navigation and control systems and avionics for NASA, lunar landers and national security space.
- MIT Haystack Observatory · Research Institution · Westford
MIT radio science research centre — studies space weather, the upper atmosphere and radio astronomy, and develops VLBI geodesy systems.
- Naval Center for Space Technology (NCST), U.S. Naval Research Laboratory · Research Institution · Washington
US Navy research centre at NRL — designs, builds and tests spacecraft, payloads and space robotics for military, civil and intelligence customers.
Startup (4)
- Lodestar Space · Startup · Boulder
Develops deep space navigation and positioning systems — provides autonomous on-board navigation for lunar and cislunar spacecraft without reliance on Earth-based tracking.
- Psionic · Startup · Hampton
Virginia navigation startup — commercialises NASA-derived navigation Doppler lidar for precision landing of lunar landers and aircraft.
- Rhea Space Activity · Startup · Washington, D.C.
American space defence startup — develops navigation, space domain awareness and in-space manoeuvring technologies for US defence customers.
- Xona Space Systems · Startup · Burlingame
Building the PULSAR LEO satellite constellation for direct-to-device precision navigation — delivers centimetre-level GPS accuracy for autonomous vehicles, drones and robotics.
Academic Institution (3)
- Center for Space Research, University of Texas at Austin (CSR) · Academic Institution · Austin
UT Austin research centre — leads satellite geodesy and gravity missions (GRACE-FO, ICESat-2 science), small satellites and cislunar research.
- Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University · Academic Institution · Stanford
Stanford engineering department teaching and researching spacecraft autonomy, guidance and navigation, space robotics and planetary exploration.
- Space Rendezvous Laboratory, Stanford University (SLAB) · Academic Institution · Stanford
Stanford Aeronautics and Astronautics lab — researches spacecraft navigation, rendezvous, formation flying and space domain awareness.
Private Company (2)
- Advanced Space · Private Company · Westminster
American space mission company — owns and operates NASA's CAPSTONE lunar pathfinder and develops cislunar navigation, mission design and autonomy software.
- Kearfott Corporation · Private Company · Pine Brook
New Jersey navigation manufacturer — builds inertial guidance, navigation and motion control systems used in launch vehicles and spacecraft.