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Canadian operator Telesat has announced that it has secured full funding for its Lightspeed LEO satellite constellation and has contracted MDA to build the 198 satellites required for the system. The launch of Lightspeed satellites is scheduled to begin in mid-2026, with global services expected to commence by late 2027.

Telesat faced significant challenges in securing funding for the ambitious program. Although Thales Alenia Space was initially contracted to build the satellites, financing negotiations caused delays in delivering proposals to the operator. As a result, Telesat scaled down the constellation from almost 300 to 198 satellites.

Telesat has received funding commitments from the Canadian federal and provincial governments amounting to approximately US billion. The funding underscores the commitment and confidence in the New Space Economy for Canada. The finalization of the funding is subject to certain conditions, including confirmatory due diligence and definitive agreements. Together with Telesat’s own equity contribution of approximately US.6 billion, as well as vendor financing, the funds will enable the Telesat Lightspeed program to launch global service once the first 156 satellites are in orbit. The total capital investment for the program is estimated to be around US.5 billion and includes satellite launch vehicles, a global ground network, and operations support systems.

Telesat anticipates reaping rewards and cost savings through its partnership with MDA. The redesigned Telesat Lightspeed network will take advantage of MDA’s advanced technology, including digital beamforming array antennas and integrated regenerative processors. This will result in increased network efficiency and flexibility in delivering capacity to users. The satellite size will be slightly smaller than initially planned, while still maintaining high service performance and overall usable capacity.

Telesat President and CEO, Dan Goldberg, expressed his confidence in meeting the objectives of the Telesat Lightspeed constellation, emphasizing the innovative work of the Telesat team and the collaboration with MDA, a world-class satellite prime contractor.

Source: Via Satellite

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