Low SWaP-C GPS Payload for Advanced LEO Services

TrustPoint's commercial C-band APNT system is designed to provide fast Time-to-First-Fix, centimeter-level positioning accuracy, improved resistance to jamming through frequency diversity, and robust, encrypted signals with built-in spoofing resistance. The solution is built on a constellation of cost-effective LEO microsatellites, utilizing Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) platforms and launch services, alongside proprietary innovations in navigation signal generation and processing. With minor modifications, TrustPoint's technology can be adapted to meet the DoD's dynamic requirements, delivering enhanced PNT resiliency and operational effectiveness even in GPS-denied environments. The Lightweight Signal (LWS) is a novel solution designed by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL/RV) to provide a secure PNT service that avoids the complexities of existing military GPS signals, such as M-code. The LWS represents a streamlined approach to military PNT, offering essential security features without the intricate infrastructure and high SWaP-C (Size, Weight, Power, and Cost) demands of traditional systems. This new signal design ensures robust PNT delivery while maintaining operational simplicity, making it an ideal solution for the next generation of military satellite architecture. The LWS has been developed specifically as a low SWaP-C alternative to M-code, targeting users such as dismounted soldiers, unattended sensors, sonobuoys, small UAVs, wearables, and tactical radios/smartphones. Its design prioritizes low power consumption and cost-efficiency, making it suitable for vulnerable and underserved equipment that requires reliable PNT services but cannot support the complexity and power draw of traditional military solutions. Unlike M-code, LWS is not intended to replace existing systems but to complement them by providing a secure, lightweight option for a wide array of tactical and strategic use cases, including the "Military Internet of Things," according to Dr. Joanna Hinks, AFRL/RV. TrustPoint, Inc. proposes modifying its existing C-band software defined radios (SDR) and demonstrating a 1.5U L-band payload capable of transmitting the LWS. TrustPoint’s existing expertise in compact, C-band PNT payloads presents a strong foundation for adapting to L-band requirements, aligning well with SDA’s goals of deploying small, efficient, and cost-effective PNT solutions within its proliferated Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations.