Photo: ESA
Qualinx, a company specializing in ultra-low power wireless tracking and connectivity semiconductors, has announced a partnership with the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA). This collaboration, under the Fundamental Elements EU R&D funding mechanism, aims to develop a consumer-grade, low-power GNSS receiver for EUSPA’s GNSS authentication service.
The project focuses on the Galileo Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) service, which is designed to verify that users are receiving data from Galileo satellites. This service was introduced in response to an increasing number of spoofing incidents. Qualinx was selected for this project following a six-month selection process conducted by EUSPA.
Qualinx’s technology, known as digital radio frequency (DRF), transforms most analog functions of a wireless chip into digital circuits, which can be customized for each application through software. This technology is designed to reduce power consumption compared to traditional GNSS receivers. The company aims to provide smaller, more cost-effective solutions while extending the operating life of battery-powered navigation devices.