Bryan Chan is Co-founder and Vice President of Business Development and Strategy at Xona Space Systems, a company specializing in the development of next-generation global positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) solutions via low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations. His tenure at Xona Space Systems dates back to the company’s inception in April 2019, situating him as one of the pivotal founding members alongside CEO Brian Manning and other key technical leaders.
With over 12 years of experience in the aerospace industry, Bryan Chan combines entrepreneurial drive with extensive engineering and program management expertise. Prior to Xona, he served as program manager and systems engineering lead for SSL’s (Space Systems Loral) first implementation of the Payload Orbital Delivery System (PODS), demonstrating a strong technical foundation in satellite payload delivery and systems engineering that complements his strategic and business development roles.
Educational Background
Bryan Chan holds a Master’s degree in Aeronautics & Astronautics from Stanford University as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. This academic background provides a robust grounding in aerospace systems essential to the highly technical domain of satellite navigation.
Professional Contributions and Industry Recognition
He has a documented history of contributing to advanced navigation and aerospace technologies, including scholarly research with over 100 citations on airborne GNSS radio occultation sounding from commercial aircraft. Bryan also actively participates in industry forums and conferences; notably, he represented Xona on the LEO PNT session panel at the Multi-GNSS Asia Conference in March 2025. His engagement in these venues highlights his role not only as a business strategist but also as a thought leader in satellite navigation innovation.
Strategic and Business Development Leadership
At Xona, Bryan Chan leads corporate strategy efforts that position the company at the forefront of secure, resilient, and encrypted centimeter-level positioning technologies enabled by their LEO constellation known as Pulsar. Under his strategic leadership, Xona has transitioned from research and development to commercialization, supported by significant funding milestones including a $92 million Series A round announced in June 2025, backed by Craft Ventures, Seraphim Capital, 1517 Fund, and a coalition of institutional investors. The company overall has raised approximately $150 million in funding by October 2025, signaling strong financial backing and market confidence in its technology platform.
The funding infusion supports Xona’s mission to revolutionize GPS technology, addressing vulnerabilities present in legacy systems originally designed for military use in the 1970s. Bryan’s strategic initiatives underscore the company’s ambition to deliver a next-generation LEO satellite network that will serve both defense and commercial sectors with enhanced PNT capabilities, promoting innovation in both space technology and downstream applications.
Recent Activities and Industry Position
Bryan actively communicates company milestones and strategic partnerships, including the collaboration with Trimble for precision positioning via the Xona PULSAR technology, indicating an integration with established market players in GNSS solutions. His LinkedIn and social media presence reflect ongoing hiring campaigns to expand Xona’s engineering payload teams, emphasizing growth and scaling efforts.
In March 2025, Bryan represented Xona at key industry events focused on LEO PNT, which further establishes the company’s visibility and credibility within the aerospace and satellite navigation communities. The firm’s research outputs, often shared publicly, include innovations in resilient signal design, navigation security, and architectural advancements in satellite constellations.
Summary
Bryan Chan’s profile is characterized by a blend of technical expertise, strategic leadership, and entrepreneurial vision within the aerospace and satellite navigation sectors. His educational pedigree and over a decade of aerospace experience inform his approach to scaling Xona Space Systems as a pioneer in next-generation GPS alternatives. With a strong history of managing complex system integrations, securing significant funding, and engaging with the broader aerospace community, Bryan is positioned as a key executive driving the company’s growth, innovation, and market penetration in space-based navigational intelligence.
