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Telesat will purchase 14 launches of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket for its Lightspeed internet constellation.
Telesat estimates roughly $800,000,000 is needed to finance an additional 42 Lightspeed satellites to densify coverage and expand capacity.
Lightspeed will be deployed from SpaceX launch facilities in California and Florida.
Approximately $1,600,000,000 of the total $3,500,000,000 cost for an initial 156 Lightspeed satellites is being funded via Telesat equity, with the remainder coming from Canadian federal and provincial financing commitments.
Telesat CEO Dan Goldberg expects mass production of MDA-built Lightspeed satellites to begin in the middle of the second half of 2025.
Each contracted Falcon 9 launch will carry as many as 18 Telesat Lightspeed satellites to low Earth orbit.
SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets will be used to deploy the Telesat Lightspeed constellation.
MDA is attempting to procure 800 optical terminals for the Lightspeed constellation.
Telesat is positioned to begin delivering enterprise-class connectivity from Lightspeed in late 2027.
Telesat contracted 14 launches from SpaceX starting in mid-2026 to deploy its entire Lightspeed broadband constellation within a year.
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.
Each Falcon 9 rocket could carry up to 18 of the 750-kilogram low Earth orbit satellites that MDA is building for Lightspeed, or 252 satellites across 14 launches depending on orbital plane loading.
Telesat has a contract with SpaceX dated 2023-09-11 for 14 Falcon 9 launches, sufficient to deploy the entire Lightspeed constellation.
MDA will build a digital beam-forming antenna, the spacecraft bus, and an onboard processor of its own design for Lightspeed rather than leveraging Thales Alenia Space’s antenna design.
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.
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 characterizes Blue Origin’s New Glenn as expected to be available for Lightspeed launches when Telesat starts launching in mid-2026.
Telesat plans to begin providing global service from the Lightspeed constellation in 2027.
MDA contracted on 2023-08-11 to deliver 198 satellites for Telesat’s Lightspeed constellation with launches starting in mid-2026.
The Telesat Lightspeed network is designed from inception to serve enterprise and government users with mission-critical connectivity.