Telesat is a Canadian satellite communications company and operator, providing connectivity solutions to telecom, government, and enterprise clients globally. They are currently developing Telesat Lightspeed, a low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation of 198 satellites designed for high-speed, low-latency broadband services. Telesat partners with companies like MDA Space, Orange, and Intellian for satellite manufacturing, terrestrial infrastructure, and user terminals. The company aims to begin launching satellites in 2026, with the constellation fully operational by 2027.
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At a rate of about $67,000,000 per launch, 14 Falcon 9 launches would put the approximate total value of Telesat’s deal at around $900,000,000.
Telesat will purchase 14 launches of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket for its Lightspeed internet constellation.
Telesat intends the roughly $800,000,000 for 42 additional satellites to come from early Lightspeed revenues or from incremental funding sources ahead of launching commercial LEO services in late 2027.
Telesat estimates about $800,000,000 is required to fund the incremental 42 Lightspeed satellites, associated launch vehicles, and additional ground infrastructure to reach 198 satellites.
Approximately 50% of Telesat’s current revenues come from its principally DTH video business and approximately 50% come from enterprise broadband connectivity.
Telesat plans to begin providing global service from the Lightspeed constellation in 2027.
Telesat has $3,500,000,000 in equity and Canadian federal and provincial financing that is sufficient to fund 156 Lightspeed satellites for initial polar and global services.
Telesat ordered 198 satellites from MDA after announcing funding commitments for 156 of them.
Telesat has a contract with SpaceX dated 2023-09-11 for 14 Falcon 9 launches, sufficient to deploy the entire Lightspeed constellation.
Telesat characterizes Blue Origin’s New Glenn as expected to be available for Lightspeed launches when Telesat starts launching in mid-2026.
Telesat has recently funded plans for a low Earth orbit constellation that it expects to provide competition by 2027.
Each contracted Falcon 9 launch will carry as many as 18 Telesat Lightspeed satellites to low Earth orbit.
Telesat estimates roughly $800,000,000 is needed to finance an additional 42 Lightspeed satellites to densify coverage and expand capacity.
The Telesat Lightspeed network is designed from inception to serve enterprise and government users with mission-critical connectivity.
Telesat’s move to MDA’s smaller satellite design has reduced the constellation cost by approximately $2,000,000,000.
Telesat contracted 14 launches from SpaceX starting in mid-2026 to deploy its entire Lightspeed broadband constellation within a year.
Telesat has contracted 14 launches on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 for the Telesat Lightspeed deployment.
Telesat switched satellite suppliers to MDA after supply chain issues caused delays for a constellation it initially planned to start launching in 2020.
Telesat is positioned to begin delivering enterprise-class connectivity from Lightspeed in late 2027.
Telesat launched its LEO-3 satellite to support customer demonstrations and to preserve some spectrum rights at the International Telecommunication Union level.