Depiction: In 2024, Iridium Satellite Time and Location (STL) was deployed by L3Harris to protect critical FAA data center infrastructure.

U.S.-based providers of Assured Position, Navigation, and Timing (APNT) technologies NAL Research and VectorNav entered into a partnership agreement Thursday to jointly development and produce Iridium STL (Satellite Time & Location)-aided Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) designed to meet the increasing demand for resilient PNT in GNSS-denied environments.

The companies said the partnership was driven by a need to address how GPS/GNSS signals are susceptible to jamming/spoofing and outages by providing an alternative source of data where GPS/GNSS is denied.

“APNT is crucial for enabling continuous access to accurate location data and time synchronization. Unlike other APNT sources, NAL’s APNT receivers are integrated with Iridium STL service, which leverages a Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) transmitted signal approximately 1,000 times stronger than traditional GNSS and is capable of penetrating indoors and other GNSS-obstructed areas. Operators of uncrewed systems, in particular, can benefit from implementing an INS solution that leverages NAL’s Iridium STL-enabled APNT receivers to maintain critical operations in areas where GPS/GNSS are denied or degraded,” the companies said in a joint statement.

The partners also added that future offerings will focus on reducing SWaP-C (Size, Weight, Power, and Cost), increasing environmental resilience, and supporting MIL-STD compliance for defense and aerospace applications.

“The demand for robust APNT solutions, manufactured at scale and capable of supporting dynamic autonomous systems, is growing rapidly—particularly in the critical maritime domain,” Jakub Maslikowski, VP of Business Development for VectorNav, said in the announcement. “This collaboration with NAL Research will help to realize the emerging LEO satellite PNT capability and strengthen the U.S. and allied nations’ resilience when operating in contested environments.”