47G member Northstar Photonics has been awarded two significant Navy Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts to advance next-generation inertial navigation technology.
Founded in 2022 as a U.S.-based carve-out acquisition, Northstar Photonics has quickly emerged as a leader in advanced navigation technology. The company pioneers thin film and bulk devices that harness quantum-level interactions of light and matter, addressing navigation at its most fundamental physical limits.
By engineering solutions with unprecedented control over how light is guided and modulated, Northstar is overcoming long-standing limitations in inertial navigation, enabling systems that are smaller, more power-efficient and significantly more cost-effective. These breakthroughs not only extend operational capability but also open the door to wider deployment across defense and, eventually, commercial markets.
Breaking New Ground in Navigation Independence
The Navy has awarded Northstar Photonics two critical SBIR contracts:
- SBIR Topic N231-075: Advancing integrated optical circuits through breakthrough thin film technology to make fiber-optic gyroscopes significantly smaller, lighter and more power-efficient.
- SBIR Topic N242-D12: Pioneering advanced packaging for flexible integrated optical circuits to drastically reduce the size, weight, and power of fiber-optic gyroscopes while enhancing manufacturability.
“We are leveraging quantum-level control of light, so that this navigation system can be in so many more places for so much less money,” said Caroline Chapdelaine, CEO of Northstar Photonics. “These SBIR awards validate our approach to solving fundamental physics problems that have limited inertial navigation for decades. By engineering photonics with unprecedented precision, we’re not just making incremental improvements—we’re enabling a completely new generation of navigation systems that are smaller, more efficient, and far more accessible.”
The practical implications of this technology are significant. Military platforms such as bombers, submarines, missiles and drones all rely on precise navigation, particularly in contested environments where GPS signals can be jammed, spoofed or unavailable altogether. Northstar’s innovations ensure that these critical missions retain reliable, independent navigation. Beyond defense, commercial shipping, aviation and logistics industries face growing vulnerabilities to GPS disruption, and Northstar is positioning itself to provide resilient alternatives as demand accelerates.
“The commercial world is slowly learning they can’t rely on GPS,” Chapdelaine noted. “Commercial shipping through conflict zones like the Strait of Hormuz increasingly faces GPS jamming, while aviation encounters expanding dead zones. At Northstar, we’re working to bring this technology forward to address those challenges as well.”
These SBIR awards highlight a broader shift: GPS-free navigation is evolving from a specialized military capability into essential infrastructure. As global conflicts expose the vulnerabilities of satellite-based systems and commercial operators encounter mounting disruptions, the demand for resilient alternatives is accelerating rapidly. Northstar is positioning itself at the center of this transition, with technology mature enough to earn Navy confidence and manufacturing capacity robust enough to scale.
Charting the Future of Navigation
Northstar Photonics is an active member of 47G, where they have the opportunity to connect with national decision-makers and collaborate alongside Utah’s most innovative aerospace companies, creating critical pathways for growth.
“Caroline and her team at Northstar represent exactly the kind of breakthrough technology and manufacturing capability our defense industry needs,” said Aaron Starks, President of 47G.
“Through events like the Zero Gravity Summit, we’re ensuring that the most promising aerospace, defense, cyber and tech companies are in the room with national decision-makers. These SBIR awards are a perfect example of how those connections translate into real-world success.”
As GPS vulnerabilities become more pressing across both defense and commercial domains, Northstar’s work signals more than technical progress—it represents a fundamental shift in how the world will navigate in the decades ahead. By marrying advanced photonics engineering with scalable U.S.-based manufacturing, the company is not only addressing today’s most urgent national security needs but also laying the foundation for a future where navigation is secure, resilient and independent of satellites, and ultimately, redefining the very infrastructure of how people, goods and missions move across the globe.
